


Co-Lovers [GABE X FEM!READER]

by shogami



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Blow Jobs, Eventual Romance, F/M, Random Updates, Slow Burn, Smut, and a certain boy will be your awkward little lover, and basically you work your ass off, maybe overwork yourself, you're the new accountant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:08:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shogami/pseuds/shogami
Summary: When Sabre merges with Dunder Mifflin, a new job title opens up and you miraculously are the first one to get the position. When at work, you meet a certain boy that definitely has his heart set out on you. Question is; will your schedules override, will you be able to hold a relationship, especially when you know not to mix your personal and work life together?
Relationships: Andy Bernard/Erin Hannon, Gabe Lewis/Reader, Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert
Comments: 45
Kudos: 108





	1. 1

Growing up was never easy, especially as someone who never had much money. Your life was frugal and fragile, hand in hand on the edge of disaster if trouble ever struck your financial situation. From a young age, you’ve had to work and push yourself into adulthood with a thick skin. All the while throughout college, you’ve longed to pursue the idea of becoming a fully-fledged writer. Your passion was sewn into the words you spilled on paper or computer and your passion had to be locked away for your own safety. Not that you wished to suppress it or anything, you just had better things to do. When faced with a freelance writing career that seemed glorious, you knew it would have little to no benefits if you couldn’t sell your own work, so you turned into business during your college years and worked hard on the simplest thing you could find, which was a bachelor’s in accounting.

Because of Dunder Mifflin’s recent merger with Sabre, most branches have been forced to expect upgrades in their offices. Not that anyone would get new offices or anything, it’s just more open job offers for faster efficiency. So far, nobody has really complained about the idea of gaining some new coworkers, so openings have popped up in each and every branch and– in the nick of time– you managed to grab an interview with the manager of your local branch, Scranton.

You were in your last year of college and you knew that this job is fleeting fast, but it could be your only chance to work in a well-developed company before having to turn to the general public and doing their taxes. Sending out a prayer as you dressed up in your skirt and blouse, you hoped to God that they hire you.

Out you storm like a blizzard, thick skin on and ready to take the day’s wear and tear. You didn’t have classes until later in the day, so you knew your schedule would fit perfectly from 9-5 and then your afternoon classes immediately after. You followed the directions that you had gotten from over the phone (scribbled on a napkin in a panicked rush) and parked in a quaint parking lot, making note of the other vehicles before stepping out. Feet already irritated by the rubbing of your heels, you walked into the building and took the elevator up, waiting and clenching tightly onto your briefcase.

You were _nervous_ , not scared. You knew how to keep yourself from being too emotional, all that work from your childhood will not be in vain!

The elevator dinged and brought you back to reality and you stepped carefully into the carpeted room, turning the corner before being met with the kind receptionist, who had the kindest little grin on her face.

“Good morning! Donut?” She asked, motioning to a bag of powdered donuts. You blinked, looked around, before shaking your head in return to the girl.

“...No thank you.”

God, was that awkward. The girl giggled before turning to her computer, tapping something on it before introducing herself.

“I’m Erin. Erin Hannon. I work as the receptionist.”

You didn’t necessarily hate her, it was just surprising to see her act so quirky and ditzy. Was this the right place? Before you could speak, she overrode your thoughts again.

“Are you here for someone?”

“Oh, yes! A Michael Scott? We spoke over the phone about scheduling an interview for the new accounting position.”

“Ooouh! Okay! He’s currently in the conference room with our newest employee, Gabe, if you want to take a seat and wait?” Erin said, voice trilling a bit. She gave you the kindest of all smiles before you dipped your head, ready to turn around before a slamming door forced you to jump out of your skin. A short, stout man stopped in his tracks as he stared at the two of you, blinking and slowly turning to Erin.

“Who…” He whispered before you raised your hand to him.

“Y/N L/N. It’s a pleasure to meet you– we scheduled an interview today at noon?”

The man gritted his teeth a second before making an awkward face. “Riiiiight.” He froze, shaking your hand timidly before retracting it fast to his side. “Michael– Scott. We spoke on the phone– um… listen, I’ve got things to do suddenly, so… if you could… just..?”

Your face fell but he scrambled to pick up his words as a taller man left the conference room he just skittered out of. You were about to look away but Michael shook his hands quickly, almost dismissively, before caving in.

“You– you know what? You’re hired! I’ve got to go.”

With that, Michael stormed out of the office as if he were trying to escape the man that was approaching behind him. You stared in awe, mouth agape, as you felt your briefcase slip through your sweaty palms and land on the floor, spilling your perfectly typed resume out of it. You knew that this was too good to be true, maybe it was a dream of some sort. Sighing at Michael’s disappearance, the man approached you, bent down, and picked up your briefcase and resume, skimming over it. You felt yourself turn back to him, flushed in all certainty and tears forming in your eyes. _You had the job?_

“This is an extremely nice resume.”

The gaze that was the blue crystals glittering, fastened into his face, fell over you and he gave you an awkwardly charming smile. Not only was he handing your things back to you, but he didn’t have the authority to _not_ hire you and, knowing Michael, he wouldn’t like his judgment to be questioned or controlled in any way, shape, or form. With shaky hands, you took back the resume and briefcase, clutching it to yourself.

“Thank… you..? I.. was I just hired? Like, just now?”

“I’m… sorry, he’s kind of upset.” The man laughed, sticking out his hand and taking yours firmly when you did the same. “I’m Gabe Lewis, nice to meet you. You’re the new accountant?”

“I guess I am?”

As Gabe motioned away from the entrance of the office, he led you to some more spacious areas in the back with an empty desk and computer sitting atop it. “I’m the coordinating director, I just showed up today as well. Part of the Sabre merge.”

“The one that employed me,” you chuckled, earning a nod from him. It seems as if Gabe was breathing fine, smiling fine, ignoring the prying glances of his coworkers. “So this is my desk?”

“Mhm! You’ll be managing invoices and balance sheets, mostly. I see you’re still in school, so no worries there, just fill out some forms with your information so you can get registered onto the payroll and you’ll be good to go.” Gabe said, nodding to your new desk. “Let me get Nick, the I.T. guy, to get you signed up for an account on the computer and you can start tomorrow.”

“Wow, ah…” You laughed nervously, nodding away as if you understood everything that was about to happen. You didn’t. “Wait, um, hold on. Mr. Scott– where is he headed? Why–?”

“ _Michael_ was just upset over something, don’t worry about it.”

“But shouldn’t he be showing me all of this stuff?”

“...Normally, yes,” Gabe laughs, “but don’t worry, I can help you out.”

It’s not that you were particularly worried about the wrong person doing the wrong job, you just wanted to get to know your manager before anything else, but it appeared as if that wasn’t going to happen. You were glad that Gabe and you were on the same page, though, and you couldn’t help but thank him gratefully as he lumbered off to find Nick. You sank down in your chair, your desk alone out in the open. It felt nice, but you were also cornered up against a wall. Behind you sat a blonde woman who looked you up and down and sighed with disappointment. You didn’t know what it meant, but you decided to ignore it.

Gabe returned with Nick and you sat in the chair, watching Nick help you sign up for an account. There lingered Gabe, tall and awkward, as he examined the situation. He tried to make small talk in those quiet, little moments, as he leaned against your desk.

“So, er, now that you’re a part of the company… do you want a bottle? They come with the whole Sabre slash Dunder Mifflin thing, trying to… you know, get rid of the paper cup problem.”

“Oh, I’d love one, thank you.” You replied, drawing the most genuine smile out of him as he skittered off and returned with one, handing it to you. You set it in your lap as Nick finished signing you up and familiarizing you with some of the things on the computer (which you already knew but didn’t want to patronize the poor man.) Nick left, leaving the two of you just sort of standing there as you picked up your briefcase, using the keychain on it to clip on the drinking bottle and holding the bag tightly.

“So, do you work in this office now, or..?” You began, trying to strike up some last-minute conversation with the one coworker who has actually made an attempt to be polite and welcoming. He must be feeling the same way, new to this environment.

“Oh, no, not always, I mean, I’ve got work to do with Jo, the constant trips back and forth… schedule is pretty erratic sometimes.”

You couldn’t reply immediately, tongue dry as you listened carefully. You felt bad for the poor guy, driven nearly to insanity every day because of a crazy schedule. Simply shrugging and hanging your head, you didn’t try to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry to hear that. My schedule is crazy, too.”

“Yeah, I bet, aha… you know, with… schooling and all…” Gabe replied, trying to keep the conversation but failing miserably before stopping himself from speaking whatsoever. Just as you opened your mouth to say a goodbye, you saw Michael wander into the office aimlessly with multiple jugs of orange juice in his arms. He placed them down, turning to everyone in the room.

“If everyone would please ready their canteens so that I can fill them with the sweet, sweet nectar of Gabe’s homeland, and then propose a toast!”

Gabe exchanged curious glances with you but everyone milled around excitedly and, hesitantly, you unhooked your bottle from your keychain and joined the crowd. Somehow, some way, you felt almost comforted that this dimwit was your boss, but you knew he had sweet intentions (right?) After everyone fills their bottle, they all stand around and await Michael’s speech to end, which lasts for a couple minutes longer than you anticipated.

“Everyone raise their glass to… us and to Sabre!” Michael scanned the crowd, spotted you, and fumbled over his words trying to figure out your name. “And– and, uh, our newest employees, Gabe andddd…”

“Y/N.” You interrupted, to which he immediately echoed in a louder voice. Everyone unenthusiastically cheered before Michael commented on the metallic taste from the bottle. You’d agree, but you weren’t one to complain about your issues.

“Well, Y/N, why don’t you introduce yourself a bit? We’ve got a bit of time.” Michael hums, checking his watch before sitting calmly on someone’s desk. You looked around the room nervously, feeling your palms become slick again. You cleared your voice and laughed timidly, trying not to acknowledge the room of eyes staring you down. You introduced yourself as the new accountant, repeating your full name, and didn’t entail much about your personal life. You were _always_ told not to mix your personal life and your work life together.

“BO-Ring!” Michael sighs, earning a well-deserved glare from some of the nearby workers. “Tell us what you like! Movies? Songs? Celebrity?”

“Well, um, I… suppose I like _Moulin Rouge!_?”

“Don’t know it, never seen it.” Michael continues while your mouth clamps shut tighter.

“Well, I have! It was so romantic.” Erin sighs happily, leaning over her desk to join in on the fun. Some of the others engaged and introduced themselves politely, a couple creepy comments from the one named Kevin, but overall a good experience. You were excited to keep going with these new coworkers, you knew that a part of you was eager to finally experience the big office lifestyle, yet that sealed away part of your mind begged to write. You just might have to do that after school today. While the crowd dispersed and you kept mental notes of everyone’s names, you followed Michael into his office to fill out your employment forms before leaving the office, hoping that tomorrow would be a better, more fun-filled kind of day.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for continuing to read my fanfic!
> 
> I just wanted to mention really quickly that this fanfic will not COMPLETELY follow the series.
> 
> Thank you!

School came and went and, by the next day, you were up and ready to challenge your new job. You had to be there by 9, which was nice because you were excited to finally get to work in an actual office environment. Boy, you _really_ had no idea, did you? As you got up and began to get ready for the day by brushing your hair, eating breakfast, and getting dressed, you prepared your items and got into your car, driving twenty minutes to the office. The way there, you kept yourself as calm as humanly possible before pulling into the parking lot, parking and taking the elevator up. The anticipation was gnawing away at you before you stepped into the office, smiling at everyone as they greeted you with their stares. You didn’t see Gabe today, so you assumed he was busy or somewhere deeper in the office.

Settling at your desk, you placed little items on it to make it as cozy as possible before booting up your computer. Like a cloud, in wafted Michael, who seemed like he wanted to speak with you by the way he practically hovered over your shoulder.

“Gooooood MORNING!” He said happily, jolting you nearly out of your seat. You turned to him with a nervous smile, clutching your armrest.

“Good morning, Michael. How are you?” You breathed quickly, trying not to obviously show that you were short of breath due to his actions.

“Good— great! Amazing. Spectacular.” He sighed, looking around in an antsy fashion. “So, I heard Gabe set you all up yesterday.”

“Yes, he did.”

“WELL! I came here to give you an office tour.”

“Oh, really, you don’t have to—” But, before you could continue, you felt him pull you up out of your seat and force you to abandon all of your work. Tugging you along, he showed you around the office, introduced you to everyone (and met with some disgusted or uninterested expressions,) and led you to the deeper parts of the office, where a few people worked. When the tour was done after an _agonizing_ half hour of Michael rambling, he turned to you suddenly and chortled in his usual manner.

“Well, Michael,” you began awkwardly, scanning the office. A part of you hoped that you’d see Gabe today, since he was so kind yesterday. You had actually brought him a gift for his hospitality, knowing it would set a good example and potentially make him a friend. You planned on giving it to the manager during your interview, but you had left it at home the other day and you imagined Gabe would appreciate such a gift (who knows?) “this tour was wonderful and all, but I’ve really got to get started on some balance sheets.”

“Balance sheets balance schmeets!” Michael tries to wave his hand but freezes, realizing how gross that sounded. He laughed again. “You know what? You’ve earned lunch today! On me! Where would you like to go?”

“Oh, no, nonono— I couldn’t possibly accept that,” you shake your head, carefully stepping away from his grasp. “Besides, I brought my own lunch. But thank you very much, the gesture is appreciated.”

And, with that, you quickly made attempts to run away. You went back to your desk and settled down, logging in and keeping your gaze peeled for the nefarious Michael Scott, who seemed keen on trying to ruin your work ethic. You exhaled slowly and focused on the said balance sheets, listening to the sales team hum in the background and speak quietly between each other. There were two new faces that you were previously introduced to— Pam and Jim— who were apparently out searching for a daycare the time you arrived at the office. Other than that, everyone was familiar and you were doing well on remembering people’s names, occasionally swooping through the clumps of people and whispering their names under your breath. By the time the balance sheets were halfway finished with, you noticed people milling about the office. When you sat up and checked the time, you saw it was noon, so you stood and stretched before approaching the kitchen. Inside was only one other person, Andy you believed, as you walked over to the fridge.

“Hi,” you said, trying to branch out. Listen, if you were going to have this nice job, you wanted to keep it, and that meant being friendly to your coworkers. Andy straightened himself, compiling a messy salad, before smiling back. “I’m Y/N.”

“I know,” he laughed weirdly, offering a hand. You shook it, not expecting his skin to be so soft. “Andy Bernard.”

As you returned to retrieve the rice you had last night, pulling it out of the fridge and standing back up, you caught him in the corner of your eye peering off in the distance, distracted from his food. Taking one step back, you noticed he was looking through the kitchen door at the receptionist, Erin, who was busy eating her food at her desk. By the way Andy smiled and hummed to himself aloud, you knew exactly what he was thinking.

“You like her?”

Andy snapped back into reality within moments and whirled around to face you, suddenly flustered. “Me?” He asked, “Like her? Erin? No… no, no, ahaha…”

“Careful, don’t let her hear you speak that way.” You joked, forcing his face into a deeper crimson.

“Okay— okay, but how can you tell?”

“Come on, I’ve seen countless boys stare at girls the same, ogling way. You have one thing on your mind.”

Andy looked around nervously, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Okay, I might like Erin. You can’t tell anyone, alright?”

“I wouldn’t dare, it’s not my place. But aren’t you worried about the whole office romance thing?”

“What?”

“You know,” you sighed, sticking your rice into the microwave and setting it to a minute, “getting involved with someone at your workplace is bad news. I’ve heard those types of relationships always end up horribly. You’re mixing work and pleasure.”

“Well… what about Pam and Jim?” Andy asked and you froze, nodding away with a curious head tilt. “They met here. Got married recently, actually! Now, a baby’s on the way.” He continued.

With a sigh and a shrug, you stuck your hands in your sweater pockets. It didn’t seem reasonable one bit, but you supposed for them, it was just luck. With the amount of boys back in your high school years, you thought they were just pointless to chase after. There was no reason to hook up with a guy through work, that was for certain, and it was an idea enforced by everyone who was there earlier in your life.

“I guess not always.” You replied, listening to the microwave beep. You took your hot tupperware out of it, stirring the rice and taste-testing it to make sure that the center wasn’t still cold. You looked over at Andy, who seemed a bit down from your words, before you found yourself speaking before thinking. That was _never_ a good thing. “If… if you’re serious about Erin, I can pass on a message? Girl talk, maybe?”

“Yes— yes! You’d do that for me?” He turned, gripping your hand a little too tight. You didn’t complain, instead just smiling away and nodding. He sent you on your way and, without your rice, you approached Erin’s desk and leaned over it with a friendly, feminine smile. She returned the smile, covering her mouth and wiping it with a napkin before raising her eyebrows in question.

“Hi, Erin. I just wanted to ask— do you have a crush on anyone here in the office?”

“Oh!” Erin nearly choked on her surprise, flushing a bit before shrugging. “I mean… I guess..? Why, is it obvious?”

“No, no! I just heard rumors from some of the others that you’re interested in Andy… is that true?”

“I… yes… aha, I can’t believe that someone knows.”

“No, don’t worry, they weren’t loud about it at all— Andy didn’t hear it, I think. What I _do_ think is that you two should talk! Go on a date, maybe watch a movie over the weekend? It’s coming up.”

“Awh, that sounds really nice and all, but I don’t know if he likes me that way.”

Erin’s shyness overcame her and she was visibly retracting inside of her own body, trying to inch away. It was obvious that she was eager to date Andy, just neither had the courage to talk to one another. Not that you were trying to pry into people’s business, but if you could do this one thing for both of them, you might have another Pam and Jim on your hands and potentially new friends who you could trust in the workplace. If you had enemies, that would be another story. This whole situation was all about your survival at Dunder Mifflin and that was important, too important to discard, even in a situation like this unfortunate one you were tasked with.

Deep down, you still liked playing matchmaker.

“Oh, Erin, you’re gorgeous. I’m sure Andy does— I actually caught him staring. I think you should ask him out this weekend. A movie date is always a good bet, you don’t have to do a lot of talking.” You say, to which she laughs at. She likes the idea and agrees to it, calmly returning to her food with an everlasting smile as you stride on back to the kitchen to tell Andy the big news. When you returned, you spilled the idea to him and told him to act inconspicuous and as if he hadn’t known she was going to do that. He mentioned something about his acting career before taking his salad, thanking you, and skittering out. You smile at your job well done, picking up your rice and returning to your desk to eat it proudly. Throughout the afternoon, you watched multiple times where Erin approached Andy and the two had some pretty adorable actions together.

As you mused over your own genius ideas, your thoughts were interrupted by Michael calling everyone into a meeting. Everyone in the office seemed to mutually share a deep, loathing, groan, as they all got up and walked over to the conference room. You slowly approached, being one of the last ones in, as Michael hauled a chair in for you. You thanked him and sat down, placing your hands on your lap. You felt nervous since this was your first real conference in an office setting, but you kept your cool.

“So… I’m just gonna go ahead and say that I think… we should impose a… dress policy.” Michael speaks, his voice faltering in some places as he thinks of what to say.

“Come on, we’ve all seen my boobs by now,” Meredith sighed heavily, lounging in her chair carelessly. You panicked, looking at her with the most incredulous gaze you could muster up. Why the _fuck_ would everyone..? To your horror, you saw that nobody’s expressions changed into the same one you wielded, so you looked around the room.

“The point is nobody _wants_ to see your boobs, Meredith.” Pipes up Kelly, in the back of the room. “But what do you mean dress policy? We’re all appropriately dressed here!”

“Errr,” Michael shrugged and the room burst into whispers around you.

“Question, Michael,” Dwight asked, “Can I or can I not wear my beet shoes to work?”

“Dwight, I don’t know what those are.” Michael sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Dwight opened his mouth to explain but Michael shook his hands quickly, bursting out with an explanation. “I JUST think that there are some violations here.”

“Who, Michael?” Toby said.

Michael gave him one of the deadliest glares you had ever seen before he crossed his arms and pouted like a child.

“Well, first of all, you with that ratty coat. Second of all, Y/N, I think your blouse is a bit too low-cut.”

“Yeah, we can see your boobs.” Kevin breathed heavily. You quickly went to pull your cardigan over your chest, flushed brightly with nothing but embarrassment.

“I-I don’t understand— I’m following the dress code, aren’t I?”

“You are.” Pam sighed, shaking her head.

“No, no, she isn’t, look at her! I mean, she’s practically asking every guy in the office to stare at her, and not to be the bad guy or anything, but I’ve stared a couple of times.” Michael explained and you couldn’t feel anything but pure terror. You wanted to sink in your seat and cry but you remembered your thick skin… and discarded it for the tiniest second. Standing up quickly, you gave Michael a rotten scowl before storming out of the conference room and to the stairwell. You weren’t sure where you were headed, but you knew you had to get _out_ of that goddamn place. One day in and you ended up sitting on the last stair, crying in the hallway on the first floor.

Your thick skin had been kind to you all these years, but Michael’s carelessly sexist and objectifying remarks made your gut churn. Could you really risk your dignity at a job like this? You glanced down at your chest, taking your buttoned blouse and pulling it over the slight amount of cleavage that was peeking out. You returned to crying about your situation, wiping your face and smearing your makeup. How could someone be so insensitive to call a group meeting about a personal issue that they had with you? How could this all happen on one, singular day?

The front door clicked and you listened to it swing open. You knew there were the warehouse workers, so you didn’t really think too much into the noise, continuing to focus on messily trying to clean yourself up. The heels of some nice shoes clicked on the floor and began approaching the stairs. You looked up and saw Gabe, standing tall and frowning down at your pathetic, hunched over self.

“Y/N?” He asked, quickly rushing to your side and sitting down. Immediately, his hands were on your back and he was trying his best at comforting you. “W-What’s going on? Why are you upset?”

You were thankful, to say the least, that he was here now in this time of need. You shook your head, turning away so he didn’t have to see your face. Gabe wasn’t one to force you to look at him or anything, either, so he just rubbed you slowly on your back until you stopped hiccuping.

“I.. it’s nothing, just… crying.”

“Nobody cries for no reason.”

Pausing, you began to practice some breathing techniques to calm yourself down before looking through your hair at him. “It’s just Michael— he said something rude.”

“Wh… what did he say?”

You shook your head again, indicating the fact you didn’t feel like speaking about the situation. Gabe just looked up the stairs and back down at you, unsure if he should go storm into the office and demand an explanation for this, or just sit here and continue to comfort you. Soon, your breathing had regulated and you could finally form a sentence. You spoke in a small tone to Gabe about what had happened and, while he listened, he wished he had more authority to rain hell down on Michael and his antics.

“Hey, y-you’re okay. I’ve heard a lot from his employees, he does stuff like that. I’ll tell Jo about it later, alright?” Gabe said, continuing to care for you with his large hands. He rubbed your back and even stroked your hair a couple of times, lulling you into a calmer state. When you finally felt able enough to sit and clean up, you began to wipe your eyes and cheeks free of the sticky tears that were once racing down them. Gabe silently watched, returning his hands to his sides.

He knew he had no authority to do this, but… “Why don’t you go home? Take the rest of the day off, relax.”

Slowly, you turned your head to him before you nodded in compliance. If anything, you wanted to curl up in bed and sleep off the last couple hours of your shift.

“I can go up and get your stuff for you, if you’d like. Clock you out?”

“Yeah, yeah… thank you, that’d be nice.”

“Okay.”

Gabe stood up and walked you away from the stairs to the front door before racing away to the elevator, taking it up to retrieve your things and hopefully log you out of your computer. You turned away from the elevator, pushing on the door and opening it, stepping out into the parking lot and approaching your car. You didn’t have your keys on you, so you waited, sitting patiently on the end of your vehicle. Gabe returned eventually, holding your briefcase. The full water bottle danced as he walked closer, handing it to you. You got off the trunk, pulling out your keys and thanking Gabe quietly.

“No worries, ahah… will you be alright going home?”

“Yes, um…” You thought for a split second, turning to your trunk. “Give me a second.”

With that being said, you unlocked the trunk of your car and pulled it open, setting down your briefcase and opening a tied plastic bag, pulling out a neatly tied little gift baggie. It was a smooth plastic and inside, upon opening the red ribbon, were some chocolate truffles. You held the gift up to Gabe, offering it, and with wide blue eyes, he took it and slowly pulled the ribbon off. Peeking into the bag, he couldn’t help but smile and look back down to you.

“Don’t worry, they’re not poisoned or anything,” you joked, laughing feebly, “I just made them a while back for the interview, which… didn’t happen. You’ve been really kind to me, Gabe, and so I think you deserve them way more than Michael does.”

“Oh… wow, they look amazing! T-Thank you! I hope I don’t eat them all today.” You both shared a tender laugh before he continued. “Well, okay… Y/N, get home safely, alright? Here, let me…”

He looked around, rummaging in his pocket for a convenient permanent marker. He asked for your arm and, so, you pulled up your sleeve and stuck it out for him. Messily, he wrote down his number on your forearm and pulled away, pocketing the marker when he was finished.

“There we go. That’s my number, you can call if you ever need anything. I’ll make sure Michael gets an earful.”

“Thank you, Gabe.”

As the two of you said your last goodbyes for the afternoon, you shut your trunk and climbed into your car, starting it up and leaving the parking lot and going back home as Gabe walked back to the front door. He admits he was late to work, but his morning was crazy due to Jo’s scheduling. For some reason, though, he was happy to have arrived when he did, for he wouldn’t have seen you. And, with his chocolates in hand, he couldn’t stop thinking of your smiling face and genuine tone when you said _’Thank you, Gabe.’_

His heart skipped a beat, maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO.
> 
> Hey.
> 
> Apparently, I read last night, that Gabe turns out to be a TOTAL dickhead by the end of the series. He gets unemployed by Sabre and, intent on revenge, s*xually harasses Erin??? what the FUCK?? I literally went into a shock reading that, but it's on the Wikipedia?  
> SO... that's not gonna happen. Obviously, as I said before, this fanfic won't follow the series completely and there will be some moments that you might know and some that you won't.
> 
> Also, remind me to stop staying up to 3 am writing these things. I have work in the morning!!!
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe, happy, and healthy during these hard times. I love you all! <3


	3. 3

It’s been one week since you started your new job at Dunder Mifflin and there have been no sign of any crude jokes made to you. That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone else has been spared, but you couldn’t help but giggle discreetly at the remarks between everyone else in the office. Ever since last week’s incident, Gabe has hardly been showing up to work but you know very well he told the CEO of Sabre, Jo Bennett, about the mishap earlier and you knew that she was on her way not only to supervise the office, but to see this crowd of people that casually allowed unprofessional remarks to surface. The idea of having such a bigwig in the office today made you nervous, but you silently stayed calm and stood when she arrived. In trotted two beautiful dogs before she came in with Gabe close in tow. She handed him her coat and he held onto it like it meant his life.

She introduced herself and made a couple southern-style comments. She was allowed the conference room to start working, but she firstly wanted to hold a meeting early in the morning, so she arranged the chairs and called everyone into the room. When everyone sat down, she began to explain.

“The books in your chair are a Sabre handbook and my autobiography. Now, you all must be in a tizzy. I can see it in your faces— what’s going on now? Well, I’d like to begin by addressing that I received a complaint earlier this week that there were some harsh words, now, I came up here to explain Sabre and the equipment we’re to start selling, but I also want to let y’all know I’m not going to stand for any of that rude nonsense, you hear? I’m going to supervise this office and make sure nothin’ like that happens again.”

You glanced at Gabe and flashed him a smile, appreciative of what he did for you. He smiled timidly back and lifted his hand in the smallest wave.

Jo rambled on about the new printer concept and, when she was done, just sort of drifted out of the room aimlessly. You all watched her, some with questions, but you really just wanted to get back to your job. Leaving the room, you sat down slowly and right then, you watched Andy stand up and approach Erin’s desk and hand her a card. Realization struck you and you peered over the divider that kept your desk away from Erin’s, trying to eavesdrop on them.

“S-So, hey, I got you this card, and… yeah.”

“Aw! It’s so sweet, Andy!” She takes it, examining it with excited eyes. After opening and reading it, she gave him a wondrous look and whispered a thank you to him. He just grins eagerly and you knew your job there was done, the two had probably taken your advice and went on a date last weekend. They spoke about another date quietly while you lowered yourself back down in your chair and you wondered if you’d have time for Valentine's Day this weekend as well.

A part of you knew you wouldn’t but you still liked to believe you could have it all for yourself. Maybe you’ll stop by the store later today and buy some chocolates and wine, like every other year (but this one is legal because of the alcohol thing.)

You didn’t pay much attention to the happenings inside the office but you did notice a couple of times where Michael and Jim switched places before, by the end of the day, Jim was seated in the chair besides his wife and looked satisfied to finally be where he belongs. As your shift came to a close, you began wrapping everything up before gathering your things and saying goodbye to some of your coworkers. Just as you approached the elevator out in the hallway, you heard someone call your name desperately. Turning around, you saw Gabe stumbling after you and giving you a messy smile, pushing his hair back into place.

“Hey— Y/N! I… well, I wanted to thank you for the chocolates last week and I was thinking… er… do you want to do something this weekend?”

“F..For Valentine’s?” You asked curiously, your voice dropping to a timid tone. He flushed and shrugged, shoving his hands awkwardly into his pockets.

“If you want to? It doesn’t have to be a date or anything, I just thought… you know.”

You didn’t have to think much about the request, feeling a smile overcome your face before you dipped your head, nodding fervently.

“I’d love to, Gabe.”

“Great! Do you want to see a movie or something..?”

“Yeah, what movie?”

“Shutter Island.”

“Oh! I saw the trailer for that, it looked good. Yeah, do you have a day and time?”

“Valentine’s at 8?”

“Mm, okay. I’ll meet you there, then?”

“Y-Yeah.”

As you turned and walked away, you felt a bounce in your step as you thought of your date with Gabe. The idea of it made your heart flutter for some unknown reason and you brushed it off as if you were just excited to see the movie. Gabe appeared just as excited, too, for his own unknown reasons.

Returning home to your little apartment, you awaited for the weekend and allowed days to pass until then.They were long and agonizing, but with Jo in the office, you hadn’t gotten any harassment from any coworkers and even managed to get closer to Andy and Erin. Your plans were to speak with Pam, since she seemed rather reasonable, and steer clear of Dwight, who had mentioned somewhere later in the week to you that he killed his own turkeys after seeing you were eating a turkey sub.

Finally, Saturday night arrived and you had just gotten off your part-time job as a barista at a cafe. You were dead tired but, of course, ordered yourself a coffee before you left your shift and got ready at home for your movie date. You didn’t want to dress up since Gabe saw you in formal wear almost every day, so maybe a casual outfit was good for a change of pace. As you got dressed, you couldn’t help but realize you were putting _way_ too much thought in your outfit. Why should you care so much, what Gabe would like to see on you?

Besides, you’re certain Gabe would like to see you in anything.

Great. Now you’re thinking about other thoughts that you really shouldn't be having about a friend slash coworker. This wasn’t a date! You were just going with him because he offered it to you in return for the truffles you made, which weren’t even originally for him.

Slipping on your shoes and taking your purse with you, you got into your car and drove to the local theater in town. It was still snowy outside, so you brought a coat with you and kept it in your arms as you parked, got out, and approached the doors. Inside, you saw Gabe lingering at the doors, and you gave him a charming smile when he finally noticed you.

“Hi, you look great.” You complimented, looking him up and down. He was wearing a casual dress shirt and some jeans, which was tucked in and really completed that nerdy look on him. It was cute.

“T-Thanks! You look good too. P-Popcorn? I already got us our tickets.”

“Yeah, I love popcorn.”

The two of you stood in line at the front counter and awaited for your turn and, when it was, he requested a large bag of popcorn and a large drink. He let you take both and put your desired amount of butter on it and let you pick whatever drink you wanted for your cup. When you were ready, you went to the third theater room and picked the best seats you could, settling down as the screen began to show the previews.

You weren’t really a big fan of thriller or mystery or two-hour-long movies, but you found Shutter Island to be beyond your expectations. When the movie was over, the popcorn was all gone and the drink half-empty, but you knew you two enjoyed yourselves. The two of you sat there, watching people file out of the theater as the lights came back on. You turned to him with a grin.

“That was a good movie! What did you think?”

“Yeeeah, eh, it was sort of a predictable ending. I mean, the plot twist is really overdone.”

“I can see where you come from, but it was still fun to watch with you.” You laughed, opening your eyes and noticing Gabe was flushed slightly pink in the dim room.

“See, I’m more of a fan of horror movies.” He piped up and you quickly shook your head.

“Oh, god, I’d die. I hate horror, I always get so scared. Usually that stuff keeps me up at night, I can't sleep one bit. Knowing my schedule, too, I need all the sleep I can get.”

He burst into laughter and helped you up, offering you his hand. Slowly, you reached out and took it, his larger hand folding over yours. As you exited the theater with wobbly legs, you slowed down to a short pace by his side, his hand releasing yours eventually to burrow in his pocket. You haven’t been on a movie date since high school and for you to be on one right now with him, well, that made your heart thunder. You wouldn’t necessarily call it a crush.

“Oh, um, thank you for getting Jo to come.” You whispered, glancing at him.

Gabe’s eyes met yours for a brief moment but he didn’t pull them away like usual. “Yeah! W-Well, she sort of wanted to come to Scranton anyway, wanted to visit each branch and see how they were doing.”

“So, if she leaves Scranton, will you?”

“No, no… I’m personally assigned to the Scranton branch, that’s all.”

“Good, ‘cause you’re like my only friend there and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Hey, have you gotten any more comments?”

“Hm? No, no, nothing bad. I think it’s sort of a given working there, though, everyone is so different than what I thought they’d be.”

“They’re certainly an interesting set of characters…” Gabe sighs, walking you out to your car, “I think they’re charming, actually, when they’re not being rude.”

“Yeah! I get that, they’re nice, funny even. I’ve heard them insulting you sometimes, are you okay?”

“Oh, me..? Psssh, I’m great.”

Gabe waves his hand dismissively before you approach your car, unlocking it and turning to him with a smile. The conversation ended there and, strangely enough, you didn’t want this night to end just yet. Gabe stood there, wearing a coat over his shirt and smiling down at you from his tall height.

“Well, goodnight. Thank you so much for the movie, it was fun. We should do this again when we’re both free.” You said, pulling on the strap of your purse and tightening your grip on it.

Gabe only nodded in agreement and bade you goodnight, allowing you to get in your car before walking across the lot to his own. As you returned home to your cozy little apartment, you walked into your bedroom, kicked off your shoes, flopped on your bed, and buried your head happily in your pillow with thoughts of the movie and… with thoughts of Gabe. Before you knew it, you had drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gabe kiss me plz.....
> 
> also I don't know how long I want this to be, kind of looking at each episode that Gabe's in and trying to fit y/n in there :') save me.
> 
> again, though, this won't follow the series completely and will focus more on the romantic aspect of gabe x reader, not as much the humor or anything.


	4. 4

You thought it was unnecessary for literally everyone from the office to visit the hospital when Pam gave birth, but _this_ was getting to be ridiculous. It’s been over a month now and you came into work, not sure what you were expecting, but holding a coffee and flattening your messy hair. You looked absolutely exhausted, but you perked up upon seeing everyone crowded around accounting and, so, you wandered over curiously, sipping your coffee.

“What’s this?” You asked, looking around at your coworkers. They didn’t seem to mind the fact you look sleep-deprived. On Oscar’s screen was videos of the cookie monster with an overlay of Kevin’s voice. You snorted, trying not to spill your coffee, laughing. “God, that’s… so accurate?”

“Isn’t it?” Oscar said, trying to suppress his own giggles of excitement. As Kevin approaches the computer, however, you quickly returned to your own desk so you wouldn’t be included in whatever reaction comes out of him.

Which, you knew he’d react badly. He frowned and complained about it almost like a child throwing a tantrum, going to his desk. Everyone asked for the video be sent to them and you thought you’d just ask Andy for the video later, the crowd dispersing. Honestly, it was a harmless video and you hoped that Kevin would probably get over it later. But, knowing people in the office, they wouldn’t let him live it down.

You managed to sneak in a bit of writing during work, typing away at your computer and passing it off as invoices. You shouldn’t be slacking so much on your job, but your morning was rough enough and you earned a moment to sit and do what you pleased. When lunch came, you walked into the kitchen with a grumpy expression, preparing your lunch on the counter. You saw Darryl sitting down with Meredith eating some cookies and the thought of the pairing together was odd enough.

Turning to your food, you were startled because at some point while you were looking at the others, Gabe had walked into the kitchen and was preparing his own lunch. He glanced over at you with a small, awkward smile.

“Hey.” You said, smiling in return. “Have you seen that video of the cookie monster thing?”

“No?” He asked cautiously.

“Yeah, Oscar made this video of the cookie monster with Kevin’s voice on top, it’s hilarious.”

“You should watch it, Gabe!” Piped up Meredith from the table, cackling. Gabe just seemed to be on the fence, but he fell silent when Kevin walked in. Suddenly, the tray of cookies made sense. Kevin tried to ignore it, but Darryl made a sad, guilt-tripping remark to get Kevin to take and eat a cookie before mocking him in the cookie monster voice. Kevin frowned and stormed out of the kitchen and you cupped your hand over your mouth, giggling.

There was something that lit up in Gabe’s eyes as he turned to the three of you with his hands on his hips. “Guys, don’t be mean.”

“What? You need to watch the video.” You insisted.

“Oh, I sure will. I’m going to go talk to Kevin.” Gabe sighed, taking his lunch and walking out. You couldn’t stop frowning at his indifference— why was he acting like that? You were sure that if he watched the video, he’d laugh at it, but why was he taking Kevin’s side? Sure, it was mean, but it wasn’t blatant harassment or anything. You groaned and looked back down at your food.

“You really like that stuck-up prick?” Meredith sighed from her chair.

“What… what?” You had to ask twice, double-taking and looking at the redhead. She shrugged and chuckled behind a cookie that she shoved into her mouth. There was something about her that made you not want to get on her bad side. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you know what I’m talking about. You guys always spend time together, be honest.”

“Meredith, I’m not interested in dating some guy that I work with. He’s just been really polite and I appreciate that in a person.”

“Mhhmmm… he’s a real bony one, isn’t he? Can’t be that attractive underneath—”

“OKAY.” You interrupt loudly, quickly taking your food and rushing out of the kitchen. You did _not_ want to hear Meredith’s opinion on what Gabe looked like naked. You sat down at your desk and only five minutes later, Gabe approached the center of the office and called for everyone’s attention.

“It’s come to my attention that people have been watching and laughing at a hurtful parody video. It is now forbidden to talk, joke about, or email this around. And that’s from corporate, so it’s best to listen to me. Ciao.”

He turned to walk off and you couldn’t believe the fact he was literally standing up for Kevin with a stick in his ass. Sure, he was cute, but you wanted to punch him. So, you stand up, abandon your lunch, and approach his temporary office in the annex. You open and close the door, seeing him with his lunch in hand and busy trying to stuff his face. He quickly puts it down upon seeing you.

“Gabe.” You address, crossing your arms. “What the hell was that all about?”

“Um.. I said what it was about.”

“I mean, _why_ would you go out there and take Kevin’s side? Why would you even indulge Kevin that way? You know that video isn’t hurting anyone, it’s not like we were saying anything mean about Kevin in the first place, which honestly, I wouldn’t mind.”

“What are you talking about, Y/N?” Gabe said, brows furrowing and forehead creasing. “I thought you, of all people, would know what it’s like to be targeted by people in the office.”

“Yeah, but what they said to me was incredibly sexist and objectifying. What they’re saying about Kevin is that his voice is _similar_ to the cookie monster’s, it has literally no effect on anything!”

“It’s hurting his feelings!”

“All it’s doing is inflating his giant ass ego by you telling everyone off.” You sighed and rolled your eyes, turning away. “I’m going to go, they want to set up a party for Erin when she gets back from lunch. Don’t blow this out of proportion, please.”

With that, you walked out of his office and back to your desk in accounting. You knew that he’d probably listen to you, but you didn’t understand why he was insisting on taking Kevin’s side. Angela had specifically requested your help during setting up the party, so you made sure the cake was intact, there were cups, plates, forks, and you even got a little stage on the side of the room. When it was all set up, you saw Erin return with a distressed expression, but you didn’t think too much into it as people were called into the conference room. You all gathered and, of course, Andy began a speech about Erin, pulling out his guitar and preparing to strum it before Erin, in a burst of anger, launched her cake at his face.

“Holy SHIT— Erin?” You gasped, alongside everyone else. She looked around the room aimlessly, tears in her eyes.

“I know about Angela! I know you were engaged to her and sleeping with her!”

“Oh god,” Michael sighed. If he wasn’t your boss, you would’ve strangled him because you knew it was his fault.

“Erin, can we talk about this in private?” Andy asked around the splattered cake on his face.

“I don’t want it to be in private! I need to know if it’s true or not!”

After a moment of hesitation, Andy nodded. “Yes…”

“Who else did you sleep with? Phyllis, Kelly, Pam, Y/N?!”

All of the listed women murmured a variation of ‘oh god, no,’ almost as if they were all disgusted, including you. Erin was in hysterics, which was understandable if they got together over a month ago, but it was so unreasonable to see her acting this childishly. You hadn’t known Andy was with Angela for awhile, but it wasn’t a big deal, right?

“Was I the only one who didn’t know?” Erin cried. You had to step in, so you set down your cake and approached her, opening your arms and trapping her in a gentle hug.

“Erin, listen to me, honey,” you sighed, rubbing her back. She squirmed, refusing to listen for a split second before continuing to cry. “Andy didn’t tell you because it wasn’t important. I didn’t know either— but you know why? Because it’s a thing of the past! You don’t have to cry over something like that, Andy loves you here and now. He even wrote you the cutest little song and insisted everyone get you a gift for Secretary’s Day despite the fact it’s hardly a national holiday.”

Everyone seemed impressed because they didn’t want to get involved, but you knew how girls acted and you knew how to calm one down. She continued to sniffle until you kept rubbing her back, patting her there and keeping her calm.

“Listen, Erin,” Andy wiped his face free of cake, desperately searching her face. “I might’ve been with Angela before you,” God, worst way to begin a speech, “but I love you now! Y/N is right! What I did in the past doesn’t matter, I didn’t think it was important to mention, but I am _so_ sorry you had to go and find out that way. I would’ve told you if you asked me.”

Slowly, Andy’s arms open and you release Erin, ushering her into his hug. They embraced for the tiniest second and it seemed that your words made her think rationally. She just sniffled and rambled on about how she’s sorry for the cake and he forgave her. When the party was over with and everyone returned to their work stations, Kevin approached Erin’s desk and spoke quietly with her. In a whisper that wasn’t so much a whisper, Pam mocked Kevin in a cookie monster accent and Gabe emerged from god knows where, hands hanging down by his side.

“Okay, I heard that. I’m sorry, Pam, but that’s it. I’m going to have to suspend you without pay for two days.”

“What do you mean suspend me?” Pam asked in a panicked tone.

“I think you need to go a bit easy, you can’t just suspend someone.” Jim added.

“Yeah, okay, well, you know what? You’re suspended too, Jim.”

“Gabe.” You stood up with a frown on your face that said nothing but the fact that you were upset. “We have dealt with enough shit today, can you cut it out?”

Gabe suddenly fell silent, mouth unmoving. He didn’t want to suspend you and it was obvious because he was really restraining himself from saying anything snarky back. Dwight began to clap in retaliation to whatever and Gabe, in a fit, said, “Fine, you too, Dwight!”

“GABE.” You walked up, crossing your arms.

After getting some complaints from Dwight, Jim, and Pam, Gabe stormed out of the room and went immediately into the annex for whatever business he had there. Everyone looked around worriedly and you just sighed and turned to the three others.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go talk him out of it.”

“Are you going to have sex?” Kevin asked in a thick tone, eyeing you nervously. Your jaw dropped and you felt your face heat up.

“NO, we aren’t, Kevin, I’m going to _talk_ to him. Maybe you’d be able to listen if you stopped breathing so hard.” You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose and storming off to the annex. There, you didn’t find him in his office, you simply had to listen to his voice coming faintly from the stairwell. Approaching it, you saw him pacing back and forth, on the phone.

“So… I can reprimand them, but I can’t suspend them. Oh—... I can’t do either… Mhm, fair enough.”

He hung up and sighed, shaking his head and you barged in with a prideful grin, knowing everything by now.

“Hmm, how about that… now, tell me, Gabe, why did you threaten to suspend them?”

Gabe panicked, eyes widening before he glances around nervously. He did not want to face you down, but you were challenging him. You just sighed and walked closer, taking both of his hands. You couldn’t be a hard-ass on him even if you wanted to.

“It— it’s just… I wanted people to respect my authority.” He mumbled, flushed.

“But you don’t have any authority, Gabe, that’s the point. You’ve been acting like an ass all day long because you want people to respect you, but if people find out that you actually don’t have the authority you claim you do, they will _definitely_ not respect you. It was a stupid move.”

“I know, I know, I just…”

“It’s okay. Just go apologize to them and explain the issue? Owning up to it would be the best course of action.” You replied, leaning him down and pressing a kiss to his cheek. His ears burned red before he straightened, nodding dutifully and hurrying out of the stairwell. Feminine charm always worked wonders, didn’t it?

Well, as soon as Gabe stepped foot into the office and began trying to backtrack, it must’ve been found out that his authority was false. Pam and Jim kindly took their leave and Gabe followed after them quickly, trying to coax them out of leaving, but he returned with a dejected expression. It was obvious he fucked up and was probably going to get into trouble for it. The whole office buzzed with life, hateful and upset about Jim and Pam getting to leave with full pay. Gabe offered coffees, then in a terrible impression, offered cookies. This obviously upset Kevin to the point he made a laughable impression of Gabe. You didn’t laugh, though, only watched with your arms crossed.

He deserved it.

As all of your coworkers gathered to make fun of Gabe, you only stayed silent and watched as he nervously laughed, tried to join in on their jokes, and then walked out quickly to gather his things and leave for the day, since it was close to 5. Eventually, everyone dispersed and you grabbed your things, knowing Gabe would avoid the elevator at all costs, so you ran after him and caught him halfway down the stairs, smiling.

“Mind if we walk together?”

“Are you going to call me a stick insect, too?” He mumbled grumpily and you rolled your eyes, patting him on the back.

“Now, now, don’t be that way. You know what happened was because you let your imaginary power get to your head. Besides, I don’t agree with them making fun of you.”

You didn’t mention how you giggled then, but it wasn’t important. He seemed pretty down. His eyes turned to you and you felt his cool gaze on your face. “Y/N, you’re so… level-headed and cool. How do you do it?”

“Hm? I stay in my lane, I guess. I don’t stick my nose in other people’s business, but I also know how to have some lighthearted fun. That Kevin thing, that wasn’t about him, was it? It was just about you trying to prove you have some sort of power?”

“All I wanted was for the others to respect me,” Gabe sighed, slowly walking with you down the stairs.

“You know how you can do that? Be kind, calm, and don’t try to make yourself seem superior. Gabe, you’re an amazing guy, you can do so much without forcing people to respect you. All you gotta do is give them some time and I’m sure they’ll see just how amazing you really are.”

Gabe froze, his walk slowing tremendously. You didn’t realize it until a couple stairs down, so you stopped and turned up to look at him curiously. His expression was something of awe, like he had never been told those words in his life. You couldn’t help but find yourself pondering about his home life as a child, but you knew that wasn’t the right time to ask at all. Silently, you awaited for him to reply, which he finally did after a couple of moments of gazing into your eyes.

“You’re pretty a-amazing too, Y/N.”

“Do, tell me more.” You chuckled, appreciating the compliment. For some reason, it felt as if it felt so much more flattering than any other old compliment you could receive. “I’ve got a tiny ego that needs inflating.”

“Tiny? But you’re so confident all the time! Did you see yourself with Erin and Andy?”

“Yeah, and I was practically shitting my pants. I thought that maybe they wouldn’t make it, but I guess they really like each other. That is _so_ weird, if you ask me.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well,” you sighed, pushing your hair behind your ear, “ever since I was young, I was taught not to mix my professional and personal life together, you know. I guess it doesn’t matter now, Dunder Mifflin has certainly been one intimate experience.”

“Would…” Gabe swallowed, “Would you ever date someone from the office?”

You fell silent, legitimately unsure of the answer you had planned in mind. You wanted to say no and stay loyal to the advice you received when you were younger, but it seems less taboo now that Pam and Jim have made it into a lovely marriage, Ryan and Kelly are dating, and now Erin and Andy. You were also certain there was something going on with Dwight and Angela, but you didn’t want to think about them banging it out. You shivered.

You looked to Gabe with uncertainty at first, continuing to walk down the stairs at a slow pace.

Have you ever felt this way about someone before? When was the last time you felt your heart tremble at the sight of someone? When was the last time your own palm itched to be held by another? Surely you weren’t falling for him just yet, but you might be able to admit the fact you admire him in a slightly romantic way.

“Gabe,” you address quickly, pausing on the very last step. He stood beside you and halted as well, turning and facing down at you. “Do you want to go rollerblading with me this Sunday?”


	5. 5

What the _FUCK_ are you supposed to wear to a rollerblading date with a cute, lanky guy? A dress? No, no, skirts are out of the question. If you fall on your ass and flash the whole crowd, that’s on you. How about shorts? What if they get ripped when you fall? Okay, then, maybe just pants. Those could rip too. Leggings? Then, everyone would see your panty lines. What if you wear a thong _and_ leggings? But what’s the point of wearing a thong if you’re not going to be comfortable the whole day and then have sex later?

You don’t know! You’ve never had sex! And now you’re wondering if you will with Gabe and things are getting real weird in your mind because you’re imagining his hands all over you and—

GOD, what time is it again? You check your phone and emit the loudest, most dramatic groan. If only you had a personal designer who could dress you within seconds, but alas, you’re a middle-class adult working in accounting about to go on a nerdy rollerblading date with the guy you think you have feelings for.

You throw on a tee and some shorts, attempting at a casual look so you didn’t appear as if you were trying too hard to catch his attention. You pulled your hair up out of your face and examined yourself in the mirror, quickly jogging out to your car and getting in, driving to the nearest rink you had planned to meet up with Gabe at.

Why did you ask him to come with you, again? Was it the fact you wanted to go on more adventurous dates with him, or was it the fact you wanted to see him fall on his ass?

You got out and saw him approaching the doors. Calling his name, racing up and waving your arm, you snagged his attention. He was wearing a cute casual outfit, some jeans and a t-shirt, matching your attire. You breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ever rollerblade before?” You asked.

“No, I’m sort of afraid to. Do you think I’m too tall? I’d lose my balance?”

You respond with a laugh, taking his hand and dragging him inside to pay. There, you strapped on your shoes and helped him with his own, leading him to the little rink. There were only a couple people out this early since it was still church time, but you made sure to keep holding onto his hands tightly. Your balance wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t awful, either. You knew how to stand straight and properly keep yourself from flipping over on your bottom. Gabe, on the other hand, was immensely struggling, legs wobbling and hands gripping yours. You tried to coach him on with a hearty giggle, keeping him in your grip.

“Come on, Gabe, you’ve got this! Try to stand straight!”

“I d-don’t think I c-can, Y/N!”

“Of course you can! If you don’t, I’m gonna skate away.”

“P-Please don’t!” He pleads and you only erupt in more obnoxious giggles. He was beyond cute when he was frustrated and struggling to stay afloat on a skating rink. “Keep holding m… my hands, please.”

You complied, trying not to admire him too much, for you were afraid of falling head over heels within the hour. Finally, he managed to stabilize himself, able to straighten up and follow your slow lead as you rolled backwards, keeping the bond of your hands fastened tightly.

“See? You’re doing so well.”

“I’m nervous.”

He chuckles awkwardly and you respond with a smaller laugh this time, watching him anxiously look around before he makes a fatal mistake. Startled by someone rolling past him, he turns rather quickly and loses his balance, slipping and falling backwards. See, normally you’d laugh, but this time, you were attached at the hands and he literally pulled you down to the floor with him. After the impact was made and plenty of people in the rink laughed, you couldn’t help but laugh too, lying on Gabe. Slowly, you got off, sitting on your knees and allowing him to properly sit up.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine.” You replied, still holding onto one of his hands. You liked the way it felt enveloping yours.

“But your knee..?” Gabe nodded and you looked down, finally realizing a small area on your knee was red from rug burn, or practically from sliding on the floor. It stung a little, but it wasn’t so much so that it sent you to tears, so you shrugged and slowly stood up, helping him up.

“I’ll be fine.”

Besides, even if you were hurting, you wouldn’t complain in fear that would ruin your date with Gabe. Was this even a date? You thought to ask him about his stance on the situation, maybe he just thinks of it as going and doing fun things with each other. It’s only when you’re not looking does Gabe admire the way your hair falls, the way your face wrinkles into a smile or laugh, the way you breathed. A part of him wanted to be the bold man he made himself out to be, but he was far from that. So, keeping a safe distance, he skated with you for about another half hour before you proposed the idea of getting lunch together.

Gabe insisted on taking his car, so you got into the passenger side and he took you to a small little deli place on the outskirts of town. Once you stepped in, you immediately got a southern feel for the place which was odd enough since you all lived up North. The tables were small and cute and you could see that, behind the counter, there were a couple older women making sandwiches and wraps. The fresh scent was overwhelmingly mouthwatering. Approaching the counter, you ordered a mediterranean wrap and he ordered an italian sub before you two sat down at a table.

“Today was fun, Gabe, thank you so much for spending it with me.”

“O-Oh, yeah, of course.” Gabe smiled, flushed a soft pink, “I didn’t know rollerblading could be so fun.”

“Me neither! I’m surprised, too, I just kinda spitballed that one.”

“It wasn’t planned?”

“Nope, ahah, I just thought it was a fun date-kind of idea.”

Before Gabe could ask you a question, the waitress came over and placed your food in front of you and you thanked her, happily digging in. You two were both so busy eating that his question went unanswered and, to further the complications of asking the question, you perked up when you noticed the couple that walked in.

“Pam? Jim! Hey guys! And little Cece!” You blurted, waving your hand.

Smiling, the couple wafted towards you, carting a sleeping baby in a carrier. They settled at the table besides yours, happy to see you two.

“Y/N, Gabe, hi.” Pam replied, fixing her shirt as she looked around. “I didn’t know you two liked this deli.”

“Gabe actually recommended we come here, it’s so quaint and cute!” You chirped.

“You two on a date?” Jim laughed and Gabe only turned a darker color. You supposed he was still embarrassed about the suspension thing, but all was forgiven, right? Especially since the two got to have two paid days off. You never found out the product of that situation, but you imagined Gabe’s ass got chewed out by Jo. You nodded in response to Jim, smiling and leaning back casually.

“Mhm, just got back from rollerblading. Are you two having a family day out? Cece is so precious!” You replied, leaning over and looking at the cute little one all dolled up. Pam nodded generously, sitting down carefully as Jim went to go order their food.

“Yeah, we just finished with church, it’s a thing we do, you know, go out every Sunday.”

“That’s cute,” you sighed happily, “what’s it like having a baby?”

“Oh, so much trouble,” Pam only laughed and began to go into full detail, explaining the daily challenges with a baby at home. She still wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world, seemingly found her home. You glanced at Gabe and noted he was awkwardly silent, but you turned to him, curious.

“Gabe, isn’t Cece so cute? Do you ever want kids?”

The question was sudden, so much so that Gabe had to swallow his food first before replying. He wiped his mouth awkwardly, shrugging.

“I… I suppose, eventually? I mean… I-I don’t really know…”

Pam just laughed as Jim sat down with their food and the four of you spoke quietly, trying to keep a steady conversation. It was pleasant, actually, but you could tell there was something on Gabe’s mind that he couldn’t just get rid of. Still, as the time passed, you checked the clock before standing and excusing yourself.

“Sorry, I might have to cut this short. I’ve got some stuff to do this afternoon, but it was so nice talking to you guys. Gabe, you ready?”

Gabe nodded and thanked Pam and Jim before standing, discarding his trash and leaving the establishment with you. He got into his car and silently started it up, mulling over his thoughts silently. You weren’t sure if you should bring up the fact he wanted to ask you something, but maybe the timing was bad, so you just sat silently in the passenger side and waited until he drove you back to the roller rink. There, you got out, thanked him for the date, and got in your own car and headed off to your second job. You wished you could’ve stayed longer, but you had insisted on spending more hours at that job so you could get a bigger check at the end of the month.

As much as you found yourself liking Gabe more and more, you had priorities, sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I'm so proud of myself for regularly updating this, but I suppose I have enough time on my hands now due to the quarantine. I also want to mention that I've fully blocked out each and every chapter I plan on writing and there should be about 18, including an extra chapter at the end.
> 
> I hope I'm doing a good job of writing each character, it's hard capturing personality, but be prepared for future smut, angst, and comedy! I've got a bit in store for all of you.
> 
> Lastly, stay happy, healthy, and home, please! <3


	6. 6

It was finally a workday and you had completely put past all the drama from last week. Jim and Pam were back at work and, thankfully, all the commotion about their paid time off was disregarded and forgotten about. You also heard nothing about Gabe, which was both good and bad. You were happy that everyone in the office seemingly stopped caring about the mishap from last week, but you also wondered where he was. Maybe he was running late or doing something for Jo? You pushed it into the back of your mind as you continued working on the balance sheets for this week.

That didn’t last for long. Michael called everyone into the room for a brief meeting and, with a sigh, you leave your station and enter the conference room anxiously. As people settled in their usual seats, you sat in yours and awaited the meeting to start. Across the room sat Gabe, who was apparently in the building the whole time. He glanced at you and smiled and before you could smile back, you were interrupted.

“Who enjoys the weekends?” Michael starts. With an ominous glance passing from person to person around the room, people hesitantly raised their hands in unison. “Of course,” he continues, dismissing everyone as they lowered their hands. “Now, the weekend is always great if you have someone— which I do.”

Aaand here it was. You could see the entire point of the meeting pivot from a harmless topic to something completely not worth your valuable time during work. It’s not that you were _eager_ to fill out balance sheets or file invoices, but you were expected by the corporate to do a good job and, with Michael’s childish interruptions, you weren’t sure if that was going to be a possibility.

“I have Donna, she is hot, she has a pilates butt. But— we need to find something to do this weekend besides have sex.”

“God, Michael,” you heard someone whisper. You agreed with whomever it was, silently grimacing.

“Did I say that? Yes, I did. The reason you’re here is that I need ideas for things that Donna and I could do on the weekend.”

“Michael, you’re kind of wasting our time right now.” You pipe up but, almost immediately, you’re shot down with a glare from Dwight. You could tell he was excited to pitch some ideas out. Stanley, without much to say, wanders out of the room, excused. You wished you were him for the tiniest second.

As people in the room (both feebly and excitedly) named their attempts at a date, you lost all of your patience and got up from the chair and hurried out of the room. Michael, fortunately, was unable to catch you on your rush out of the room. Pam eyed you down enviously before straightening her back, looking at Michael.

“Well, Jim and I go to this little deli every weekend as a fun date.” She says. Michael nods excitedly, turning to write this down.

“Uhm…” Gabe finally spoke, face flushing a little bit, “Y/N and I went rollerblading last weekend.”

“ _You_ went on a date with Y/N?” Kelly asked, eyes blowing up wide as she turned to face Gabe. He only seemed to sink further down in his chair from embarrassment.

“Y-Yes?”

“That is so cute! Are you guys dating?”

“A-Actually, I… I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Dwight asked. “You’re either dating her or you’re not.”

“Well, I never really asked her if we are?”

Andy wanted to join in, so he asked, “So, the two of you just went on a date for fun?”

“She was the one who a-asked me out! What, should I ask her what we are, o-or?”

“Yes— YES, Gabe, oh my gosh…” Kelly sighed, shaking her head. “Number one rule in dating is that the guy asks the girl out, it’s common courtesy!”

“Well, it doesn’t always have to be that way.” Pam tried to add, but it seemed like she really didn’t want to join in the gossip, “A girl can ask a guy out, it’s perfectly normal.”

“No way. I know girls and if there’s one thing they hate, it’s having to ask the _guy_ out themselves.” Kelly crossed her arms. Michael, who was listening intently, seemed very keen on the gossip, almost as if he couldn’t get enough of it.

“The real question, Gabe, is if you like her or not.” Oscar said.

Gabe only shrugged and thought about it, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “L-Like a crush?”

“Yes, a crush.”

“I… suppose I do.”

The entire room burst into whispers of gossip, keeping in mind that you were just outside the door at your workspace. They knew not to talk too loudly, but everyone had mixed emotions. Finally, the gossip turned back to Michael’s potentially doomed relationship with Donna, and, finally, everyone dispersed after a couple of minutes.

You had no idea what the rest of your day was going to look like. Even still, you had no idea when Gabe was trying to approach you. You’d either go to the break room, bathroom or be somewhere inconvenient while Andy persisted on trying to get the smoking printer issue worked out. For at least the first half of the day, it was like every time Gabe tried to speak with you, there was something in his way. That also doesn’t account for the massive amounts of gossip circling the office about your relationship with him. There were notes passed, whisperings at the water cooler, and so many more things that flew right above your head.

When you were finished with your lunch, you were called into the office by Michael and, (not) to your surprise, there was Dwight as well. You shut the door and sat down with an irritated expression.

“You needed me?”

“Yes, Y/N, I’m suspecting Donna of cheating on me. If you had stayed for the meeting, you would’ve heard that.” Michael said.

You rolled your eyes and muttered something along the lines of ‘oh no’ in the most sarcastic way possible.

“So, I’ve thought it over and I’m going to hire Dwight here to tail Donna and see what she does. I need a female presence to accompany him to offer advice and speak with her if caught.”

“No.” You immediately said. “First of all, isn’t that stalking? Second of all, I am not going to go anywhere with Dwight, especially if it’s following someone around.”

“You will be offered a bonus.” Michael interrupted, looking sweaty and uncomfortable as usual. You shifted in your seat and you could even feel your own attitude change. A bonus? Like, a raise, or just a bonus for this job? You thought it over, wondering just how important those balance sheets _really_ were and if they could be postponed for a little day out of the office. Your eyes trailed across the room to Dwight, who stood there dutifully like a white knight. You internally groaned and, with no other choice, you caved.

“Fine. I’ll go with Dwight.”

Just like that, you left the office with Dwight. He quickly took the elevator and ushered you in, pocketing his hands and peering at you from the side. You couldn’t help but look grumpy.

“What? You should be honored.”

“Honored for what, helping you commit felonies?” You grumbled.

“It isn’t a _felony_ , I’m a private investigator. You are the scapegoat if anything happens.”

“Okay, first of all, I’m fairly certain private investigators require some kind of degree or schooling. Second, I am not going to let you pin any of this on me if you screw this up.”

“Then what’s your ingenious plan?”

“I say that we follow her around and keep our distance and then leave when we realize that Donna isn’t cheating and never had the intention to cheat.”

The elevator stopped on the bottom floor and the two of you got out, walking side-by-side to his car. He tried to look as if he were undercover, but that only made it worse somehow. As you walked together, Dwight only laughed heartily at your plan before shaking his head and clicking his tongue. You imagined he had some damage or a superiority complex.

“That’s a stupid plan. We need to solve this case with logic. The only logical way to find out if Donna is a cheater is to seduce her, bring her to orgasm, then call Michael and tell him the sad news.”

“Ew, Dwight, what the fuck?” You grimaced. The idea of that man sleeping with anyone that wasn’t blind or deaf nearly made you vomit. You slowly sat in his janky little vehicle, allowing him to turn it on and slowly back out of the driveway. “Do not do that. That’s the worst possible plan and you might actually screw up Michael’s love life if you do that.”

“The only way to screw it up is to have sex with Donna and then prove she is a cheater.”

“No. _No_ , we are not doing that.”

“Why not?”

“Because it sounds like you’re not only trying to home wreck the two, but also get laid, which is really weird!”

* * *

Now that you had just left with Dwight, the office was beginning to spiral into chaos. Not only is everyone curious where you went with Dwight, but there were also rumors spreading that maybe the two of you were in a secret relationship. Jim and Pam, who had found Michael eating in the kitchen, knew that wasn’t the answer, however, and tried to quickly dismiss those rumors as false.

But that didn’t quite work out well.

The rumors only grew stronger. Angela was practically green from jealousy and it was obvious that the woman had heard from somewhere about your antics with Dwight. Not that any of it was intentional, of course.

Pam, managing to snag Jim and pull him into the empty break room, looked around nervously. She didn’t see any of her coworkers, so she assumed the coast was clear.

“We have to stop these rumors,” Pam whispered to her husband with pleading eyes. Jim, who was simply retrieving a yogurt cup, still had the spoon in his mouth. He pulled it out to respond, waving it around thoughtfully.

“Buuut, how do we do that?”

“I don’t know, you’re the master of this kind of stuff!”

“Am I?” He chuckled, “Alright… let me think. We want the rumors to stop because..?”

“Because Y/N would explode if she heard them and who knows what Gabe’ll do. This could ruin their relationship that they’ve worked so hard on!” Pam said.

Jim, humming, strolled around in a small circle before smiling real wide. “What if we started up another rumor to replace that one?”

“Like… what?”

“I don’t know, something that strengthens their relationship, like… Y/N likes Gabe. Gossip about how she told you in secret that she has dreams about kissing him or something.”

“Isn’t that a little deceitful? She’s never said anything like that.”

Jim gave his wife a look. _The_ look, if you know what I mean. Pam just smiled and nodded.

“But… it’s obvious the two have a thing for each other… so it’s not that much of a stretch, right?” She finalized, coming to a sweet conclusion. Tugging on Jim’s collar to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. He flushed a nice rosy color as she exited the room with a small bounce in her step.

It didn’t take much for Pam to spread around some false rumors. She first went to Kelly, knowing damn well that woman is the perfect hookup for office gossip. After telling her, she returned to her desk and sat there, waiting for it all to come circling back to her.

Like a game of telephone, it didn’t take long at all. Pam, while at the water cooler, overheard Angela whispering with Phyllis, speaking about the very rumor she began. She felt a little bad for saying those things, but they were essentially harmless, right? Playing matchmaker is hard! She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back. Now, if either Y/N or Gabe were to overhear the office gossip, they’d hear cute gossip about themselves!

And… things went a little haywire.

It started when Gabe got up to fill up his bottle with water before he overheard some people whispering. Normally, he wasn’t one to eavesdrop on people, but it was so tempting, especially when he heard Y/N’s name. Turning a bit, he shuffled closer, listening in.

“—Dreams?” Whispered Meredith.

“Isn’t that so romantic?” Kelly sighed, “She dreams about him! I wonder if Gabe’s the same.”

“Well, he’s right there, you could ask him,” Meredith mumbled, staring right at Gabe. Obnoxiously, Kelly whirled around and gasped at the sight of Gabe, flushing a shade darker.

“Oh! Sorry, Gabe.” She laughed nervously. Being caught gossiping by the person you’re gossiping about is never a good thing. But, Gabe being curious, shook his head quickly.

“N-No, no, it’s alright— what were you talking about?”

“You mean you _haven’t_ heard?”

“No..? What is it?”

“I heard that Y/N has a crush on you, too! So much so that she has dreams about you!”

Dreams? What kind of dreams? Are they good dreams, or—?

Gabe found himself asking a lot more questions and he mustn’t have noticed the way his face heated up and developed into multiple other shades before settling on a cute pink. His lip quivered as he thought about you, heart pummeling in his timid composure. The more Kelly spoke about it, the more nervous he grew. Were you really that interested in him?

Now he couldn’t focus! What was Kelly saying? She was definitely forming words, but he couldn’t piece them together anymore. He felt weak at the knees.

“—Hellooo? Gabe? You in there?”

“Uuuh! Yeah!”

“I was just saying you should ask her out on a nice, fancy dinner. Girls love that sort of thing.”

“I should..?”

“No way,” Meredith butt in, shaking her head, “Invite her to your place! There’s definitely more outcomes with that kind of date.”

“Gross, Meredith!” Squeaked Kelly.

But, God, Gabe was only concerned about what kind of advice would be right.

“A-Ah, I wanted to ask… does anyone know where Y/N is right now? I’ve been texting her…” Gabe finally asked, voice trembling. Kelly turned back to him, arms crossed.

“She left with Dwight.”

“What? What for?”

“Well, I heard—”

Just then, Pam slides into the conversation, trying to rescue it from drowning horribly. “They’re running errands for Michael! She got roped in on accident.”

“Oh.” Is all that Gabe could say. He was a bit relieved, but he knew you wouldn’t dare do anything with Dwight. It was obvious that the man himself wasn’t that appealing to anyone besides Angela, and even she seemed to have her doubts.

“Pam, what do you think I should do?” Gabe quietly resumed, looking at the new female that has joined the group. Pam, like a deer in headlights, had to straighten herself and her thoughts before giving a confident reply.

“For a date? I don’t know, maybe a movie at your place? They’re fun and casual and you don’t have to spend any money.” She shrugs. Gabe, taking her advice to heart, nods, and bids them all a good day before slipping away back to his desk.

* * *

“Get out of the car.”

“I am not moving.”

“I am going to lock it and you’re going to be extremely hot in there without the AC on.”

“I think I’d rather die in a hot car than be stuck with an idiot like you trying to persuade your boss’ girlfriend to sleep with you! Besides, what are you going to do if you manage to get her to go home with you?”

“That’s a stupid question; I’d leave you behind.”

“Uhg!” You groaned, sinking further into the passenger’s seat. Dwight was not, in the least bit, amused by your attitude, but he simply opened the door for you and dragged you out. Then, locking his car, shoved his keys in his pocket and sat down on his hood, sliding on a pair of ridiculous sunglasses.

“Now, you better scurry off. If Donna thinks you’re competition, you could scare her away.”

“Competition for _what_ , exactly?” You asked before pausing. “Actually, don’t answer that. I’m going to sit inside the gym so I don’t have to be seen with you.”

As you walk inside the gym and sit down on the benches, you know very well that you’re going to watch a mess unfold. With that in mind, you tap your fingers on your lap until you’re too antsy to sit still. Then, you take out your phone, trying to get a good signal, but unable to. You’d have to connect to the gym’s Wifi and that sort of thing is reserved for members. With a heavy sigh, you shove your phone back in your purse before leaning over, watching Dwight enter a little after Donna.

And… the mess certainly unfolds.

Dwight begins by following Donna around and attempting to use the same equipment as her. It was like a lost puppy, but instead of a cute puppy, it was a gross, sweaty mammoth that was going through heat. You mentally groaned.

At least you’re getting paid extra, right? You sighed, continuing to watch. Dwight’s antics were very unwelcomed in both the gym and by Donna, both of which were growing visibly exhausted of the man.

But that’s not all! He kept this up for at least the next twenty minutes and you, unfortunately, had to sit through those agonizing passing seconds, thinking about all the life choices you’ve made that have led you up to this.

Your mind derails.

You’re now thinking about the fact the only reason you accepted this dumb outing with Dwight is that you needed the extra money. Weighed down by your sudden burdens and intrusive thoughts, you placed your face in your palms, trying to distract yourself from the overbearing thoughts that you might not make it without having to give up more food, your apartment, or even a phone.

As Dwight is rejected and Donna walks away from his advances, he approaches you, drenched in sweat, but still prideful.

“Mission successful, we’re headed back to the office.”

“Really?” You mumbled, pulling your head up above your shoulders. Time to put that beautiful mask back on that everything was fine. “Did you sleep with her within the past five minutes, or..?”

“No, she is not cheating, which I repeat: Mission successful.” He repeats.

“To be honest, it would’ve been successful either way for you, huh?” You sighed, standing and taking your things, leaving the gym with him.

* * *

Upon returning to the office, you walked in behind Dwight, there to help him deliver the news to Michael. As he waddled into his office and you slowly stepped in behind him, you watched Dwight approach the desk.

“You’re back! What happened?” Michael eagerly asked, leaning over with a worried expression.

“Oh, I pulled muscles in both my thighs. Thanks for asking.” Dwight replied.

“No, what happened with Donna?”

“Don’t worry, Michael, she’s not cheating.” You butted in, wanting to sigh again but suppressing it, “Now, may I go back to work?”

Michael sat back in his seat with an exhale of pure relief. He had never looked more serene in your weeks of working here. “No, no, you two have done well. You can go home early today.”

“But—” You tried to ask, but Dwight propped his leg up and asked Michael to work out a knot in his inner thigh. You blinked hard, surveying the situation before quickly turning and walking out of the office, towards the elevator. You didn’t want to question his authority and you especially didn’t want to get caught up in… whatever they were doing.

As you walked to your car, you thought about the day before realizing you hadn’t said a word to Gabe.


	7. 7

The wait is driving him crazy and he’s not sure if it’s anticipation or concern, but Gabe has begun to pace in circles around his table in his living room at home. As he glances over to the kitchen, he can faintly see the numbers **11:27** on his stove. Slightly behind a couple of minutes sat the microwave, with the same essential message.

_Where are you, Y/N?_ Gabe thought to himself, continuing to restlessly move about his dark apartment. His phone sat face-up on the table, screen bright enough to illuminate his path as he held himself. _Are you okay? Maybe you’re avoiding me._

But why would you avoid him? He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. Earlier today, you had left the office with Dwight, and Gabe didn’t want to look too deeply into it, but maybe you were no longer interested in him romantically? Maybe you never were in the first place?

As he found himself reaching out for his phone to douse your previous messages with his pondering gaze, he retracted his hand mid-thought and groaned.

“I don’t want to be clingy, aha..” He warned himself, carefully scolding the air. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, vibrating and moving slightly on the table. He dove, scrambling to pick it up.

_Hey._ The text reads. It’s from you. _Sry abbout the late msg, was bysy._

God, you’re never an awful texter. Scanning the earlier messages, they were typed so pretty and perfect. Gabe, hands slick with nervous sweat, typed a hasty message back.

_Are you okay? I texted you at noon today and you didn’t respond until now._

He sends the message, but there’s a stall. The message doesn’t even deliver, which signals that your phone must’ve been turned off or something. The concern overtakes Gabe as the minutes go by. You should’ve plugged your phone in to charge by now, right? Shouldn’t it be on? He waits another ten minutes before quickly grabbing his jacket and keys. He can’t wait any longer, so he heads out in the dark towards his car, making sure to lock his apartment up.

The drive didn’t take long but the entire time he was driving, Gabe couldn’t stop thinking about how distant you’ve been, and it’s worrying him.

Now, you haven’t quite seen this side of him, but he tends to get protective, jealous, and obsessive. If something is wrong, Gabe will take action and not allow it to slide by like many of the other things in his life.

As he approached your apartment, he parked and got out, racing up the stairs outside and up to the second floor, where you lived. He followed the typed instructions on an earlier text, making sure to knock on the right door. Stepping back, he waited for you to respond.

The door clicks and you carefully push it open, hair messy and breath reeking of alcohol. For context, you held the door open with one hand and a beer in the other. This was not a good look on you. Gabe almost wanted to reach out and push your hair behind your ear, but he kept his hands to himself as he felt his heart drop at the sight.

_Something's clearly wrong._

“Y/N..? What’s going on?” He asked timidly, voice coming out a bit shaky, “Are you okay?”

“Gaaabe… I’m fine. Why are you here?”

Your words were slurred and slow like you were trying to make it seem like you weren’t intoxicated at all, and, instead, you were just making it worse. Gabe stepped closer and you weren’t one to shut a cute face like his out, so you stepped away, stumbling back to your couch and sliding down, trying to keep your head up. The room was spinning a bit, but you kept your ground as he shut the door, walking over to you and sitting down.

“I was worried about you b-because you aren’t answering your phone and you’ve been kind of distant all day.”

“I’m sorry,” you breathed, trying to steady your racing mind, “a lot’s going on right now.”

“What is it?”

“Noooh, no, no, I can’t…”

“Can’t tell me?” Gabe kept his voice very soft, inching closer on the couch and taking the bottle of beer away from your fingertips. When you dared to look at him, he was giving you those adorable puppy dog eyes that you couldn’t resist. God, when did he get so cute? Sighing, you nodded and turned to face him.

“Well, Michael offered me extra pay if I went on that thing with Dwight… it was stupid. He let me off for the rest of the day, but classes were canceled, so I went to work…”

“Work? You mean back to the office?”

“No, no… I have a second job.”

You had to pause because all this talking was giving you a small headache. You rubbed your face, feeling your eyes become even more irritated. Gabe wrapped an arm around you, willing to pull you in but careful about his boundaries. You didn’t complain but that’s only because you didn’t quite notice how close he was growing.

“I work as a barista, I had to close… ergh.”

“So, let me get this straight… you’re working full time as an accountant, part-time as a barista, and to top it all off; you’re still attending college classes?” He asked quietly, rubbing your back. It felt very calming. If you weren’t so caught up in building emotions right now, you’d totally fall into the shape of his body.

“Yes…” You finally answered and he only sighed, shaking his head.

“Y/N, you’re overworking yourself…”

“B-But I have to! I have student loans and… and so much shit I have to pay off, it’s crazy…”

“So you work yourself to death by doing it?”

“...”

You didn’t reply right then and there, listening to him continue to talk.

“Listen, Y/N,” he sighed, “you need to get more rest. Overworking yourself like this is only going to be more problems.”

“But—”

“Everything will be paid off in time, there’s no rush! I think you should prioritize your schooling more, alright? Quit your job as a barista.”

You wanted to complain, you really did, and a part of you was so stubborn you were ready to fight him on the subject. Gabe, noticing your innermost conflict, pulled you into a gentle hug, swiping your hair away from your face and smoothing the wrinkles of your shirt on your back. He was very comforting, so much so that you practically melted into his fingers. The moment was so intimate, so tender, that you almost found yourself dozing away. Blinking, you pulled your limbs up, wrapping them slowly around the taller man.

“Promise me you’ll take care of yourself more?” He asks, pulling away.

Gabe was inches away from your face, his nose almost touching yours. You could feel the heat of his breath despite the fact it was minty, likely due to the fact he was prepared for bed before he decided to go out and visit you. It felt almost _alluring_ , like you wanted to close that short gap. But there was something in the way. As your gaze wandered down, you saw his hand was held up in the dim light, pinky extended. It was long and pale and, by the time you examined it, your hand was already meeting his. Interlocking fingers together, you nod aimlessly, feeling dizzy again.

“I promise.” You whisper. Your hands fall down slowly, fingers now separating. The urge inside was growing too great for you to bear and, so, you leaned in, sliding your palms against his cheeks. There was no time for him to react at all as you helped him lean, pulling him in for a little kiss. Once your lips met his, you felt warmth explode on your face and whether that was his own lips or your blush, you’ll never know. You just knew this felt so _good_ and _right_ despite the fact you were heavily under the influence.

Gabe shifts, returning the kiss as his eyes fluttered shut. You could feel his eyelashes brush your cheeks as they do and, to you, that’s an invite to hold the kiss. You sighed through your nostrils before you hesitantly pulled away. What lingered was a nice, minty spice, a mixture of his saliva dancing on your own breath. You couldn’t imagine that what he was tasting was too good, either, but he seemingly enjoyed it, racing his tongue over his lips to wet them and possibly bask in the remainder of your taste.

“Y/N?” He whispered, face obviously red in the faint light coming from the windows.

“Huh?”

“...Nothing, don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

Gabe busies himself with standing but he wobbles at first, the butterflies flapping around in his intestines. He tries to calm himself but he knew now wasn’t the right time to do anything more. You were drunk, that was where he drew the line. Carefully helping you up, he led you to your bedroom and pulled the blankets back, letting you crawl in bed. He watched with a warm gaze over you as you curled up and immediately felt yourself drifting away.

He even made sure to retrieve a small trash can from your bathroom in case you’re hungover and need to vomit. By the time he gets back to your bedroom, you’re fast asleep. He sets the can down, shutting the door to the bedroom and exiting your apartment, making sure to lock it before he leaves.

As he got back into his vehicle, he settled for a moment, thinking about what he could do to help you. He knew he was falling for you slowly, but how could he take care of you the way he wanted to? He knows just how stubborn you are, you’d never allow him to help, but…

...the thought of you living in that tiny, shabby apartment makes him shiver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little fluff chapter! I wanted Gabe and Y/N to kiss so badly, so I went ahead and wrote this up really fast. Sorry if it's a short chapter, I promise I'll make up for it!  
> Anyways, I don't want to spoil anything, but... two more chapters until the ~~smut~~! Woo!


	8. 8

It’s been a week and a half and it’s a beautiful Wednesday outside, but clouds are definitely beginning to roll in. There’s been threats of a small rainstorm passing over for the next couple of days and, knowing what Scranton weather is like, you dressed a little extra warm today before you went to work.

Boy, was that a mistake.

Sure, it was a bit chilly outside and you were happy with your decision then, but once you got inside the office, you had to take off your extra coat and put it up on the rack. Even then, you still felt toasty in a nice spring-appropriate sweater.

As you sat at your desk, you began to settle and log in to your computer. You were prepared for a new day at work and you were going to give it your all!

...Not to mention, you might be wearing a little bit of makeup, not entirely for yourself.

Ever since that night with Gabe, you woke up in the morning and threw up in the can he left for you before remembering every little detail from the strands in his hair to the way he tasted. When you touched your lips, you could still sense his own on top of yours. The two of you have been talking rather casually and you assume maybe he doesn’t think you remember that night, so it’s been awfully casual after such an inviting kiss.

As you sat and typed at your computer, you didn’t notice that a certain tall man had approached your side and leaned over to peer at your screen. You jumped at the sight, nearly screaming in surprise, but you calmed immediately at the sweet sight of Gabe. His innocent, adorable face was all you needed.

“Good morning, Y/N. What’re you doing?”

“Oh! Just handling some invoices.” You say, quickly grasping your mouse and switching to another tab. He eyed you curiously.

“What was that you were typing?”

“U-Uh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Mhmm…”

“Okay, don’t tell anyone, but I tend to get carried away and write on this novel I’m working on.” You caved, whispering. He chuckled but he seemed interested, nodding.

“That sounds really cool! If you want, you could forward that to me.”

“The novel? O-Oh! No, it’s not quite finished yet…”

“I don’t mind, I’d still like to read it.”

You felt your heart pound in your chest and well up with appreciation. You loved how supportive he sounded, how eager he was to view the work that you were very proud of. You nodded in agreement, going to your email to send him an attached link. Gabe returns to his desk, knowing he has business to work on.

Now, normally, you wouldn’t think too much of Gabe approaching you, but it happened multiple more times. He’d bump into you at the water cooler and compliment you or brush past you while delivering something to Michael’s office. It was almost… blissful. You loved this crush feeling you held when he got near you.

As you prepared a casual peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch in the kitchen, you heard the door click and lo and behold— it is Gabe. He looks happy to see you for the fourth time today, but you don’t blame him. You feel the same way.

“Hey, Y/N! PB&J?”

“Yup, the easiest and yummiest lunch out there.” You chuckled, dipping your head, trying to be mindful of Meredith sitting at the table in the corner.

“It looks good.” He nods, but he’s not looking at the sandwich. He’s looking at you. You might’ve swooned a little bit. “Did you do your hair this morning?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I played around with some products.” God, you could sense alpha male Gabe trying to muster up another compliment.

“It looks really beautiful.” He said, using a hand to brush your hair out of your eyes.

“God, you two, get a room, or at least go do this in the bathroom.” Meredith groaned from the corner, rolling her eyes. You felt your face heat up before you shyly turned back to Gabe, putting the peanut butter and jelly jars back into the fridge.

“Well, I sort of wanted to ask if you’d be interested in seeing a movie tonight..?”

“Yeah! Going out?” You asked.

Shaking his head, he smiled. “No, at my place. I have some movies that I think you’ll like.”

“Oh! Yeah, that sounds fun. Text me the time and place.” You finally pick up your sandwich, ready to go eat at your desk. You’d love to have lunch with him, but it was apparent you were busy and had to get back to work. Carefully, you left the room and said goodbye before settling at your desk, trying to contain a squeal of excitement.

You had a date with Gabe— and no, not a rollerblading date, but an actual date at his apartment where the two of you will be alone in the dark.

It seems like you completely forgot about mixing pleasure and work. You were really regretting the sweater now because you felt as hot as a radiator, most likely Gabe’s doing. His neverending flirts were sending you into the sun with the amount of reddening you’ve been experiencing.

After five more grueling hours at the office, things ticked by slowly. You made sure to count down the hours before you could finally get off the clock. As everyone filtered out to return home, you found yourself sifting through your closet in your apartment to pick out something casual and cute. Sitting up, you even considered shaving.

_Shaving?! We haven’t even done anything but kiss!_

You decided against shaving today before you threw on a long-sleeve shirt and some leggings, getting the details from Gabe in a text. He wanted you over at a late time, almost too late to be going to see a movie. You almost began to regret the idea of not shaving before you prepared yourself dinner, ate, doused yourself in perfume, and brushed your teeth, all before you drove on over to his apartment.

You haven’t been inside his apartment before, but it was beautifully decorated. You thought that the entire place was perfect and that Gabe really had a taste for interior design. It helped that his apartment was rather expensive and you figured it was just because of his salary. He had already popped the disc into the player and the title screen was up on his TV, but you froze as you rounded the couch.

“H-Horror?”

“Yeah! I know you said you’re not a fan, but this one actually has a good plot, I think you’ll like it. Besides, it’s not that scary.” Gabe said, sitting down on the couch. He patted the cushion beside himself, already having a bowl of popcorn ready and some blankets if anyone gets cold. You already took your shoes off by the door, so you got on the couch beside him, pulling your legs up to your chest as a defense mechanism.

You absolutely hated horror. Any movie that had jumpscares sent you to tears, but you figured you’d give this movie and Gabe the benefit of the doubt before you judge. Taking a blanket, you pull it over your own lap as Gabe clicked the _play_ option listed on the screen.

Gabe was sitting normally but you couldn’t help but notice him somehow become more relaxed as he watched. The music kept you on edge and the constant surge of fear was flowing through your mind as you shoveled popcorn in your mouth to distract yourself. Gabe leaned back and propped his feet up on his table.

Well, while Gabe was mostly correct and the movie did keep you compelled to watch, there was a very silent moment. You could feel the dread building in the pit of your stomach and you warily covered your eyes with your hands, trying to peek through the slits you made with your extended fingers. As soon as the main character turns around, there’s a jumpscare that forces a good squeak out of you. You tremble and flee to the nearest safe place, in Gabe’s chest. Maybe that was his plan all along, but seeing his surprised expression, maybe not. He looked down at you and, slowly but surely, wrapped his arms around you.

Gabe was holding you… protecting you… and suddenly, the world seemed to fade away within these few moments.

You couldn’t even manage to look back at the screen while the movie played on. Gabe’s gaze met yours and he could also feel the intense tension lingering in the air. Slowly and awkwardly, he leaned over, eyes shutting, before he pressed his lips to yours again, claiming you.

Of course, you wouldn’t pin it to him that he was a terrible kisser, you blamed Jo for keeping him away from relationships for her own work. Still, you attempted to guide him through the kiss, your lips parting. This time it was _his_ hands that were resting on your cheeks and you couldn’t be any happier.

That happiness was temporary, though, as he pulled away, breathless. He could only mutter a ‘wow’ under his breath before trying to regain his surroundings.

“Y/N, I’ve been wanting to ask you something…”

“Yes, Gabe?” You whispered in response, using a finger to pull your hair away from your face and out of your mouth.

Gabe cautiously moved back a couple of inches and you nearly protested, wanting him to stay as close as possible. You loved his warmth, you loved having him here. But there was obviously still something weighing on his mind that he had to admit.

“I… well, um, I just wanted to ask… what we are?”

“What we are?” You echo, trying to understand the question. Of course, you were listening, you just weren’t entirely there because _goddamn,_ that kiss was heavenly.

“Y-Yeah, like… are we… dating?”

You can feel yourself fall silent and become at a loss for words. Every voice of reason has left your body as you try to mull over an answer, but the silence is growing uncomfortably long. Gabe’s face, with each passing second, became a little bit sadder. You couldn’t imagine what you were doing to him, but you didn’t have an answer that he’d like.

“Honestly, Gabe,” You sigh, sitting up and moving away from him, “I… I’m just confused right now. I really like you, I do, it’s just… I don’t— didn’t— want an office romance. They almost always turn out really badly and the last thing I need is for my coworker to be my ex.”

“Oh,” he whispered, voice and composure suddenly frail. You knew that answer hurt to hear, but it was your honest thoughts and you imagined it was much better than telling him you were perfectly okay and totally unbothered by the idea of dating a coworker. But his sad face was becoming too much for you and you decided that maybe you could work with this, maybe you could test the waters before making a final decision.

“N-No, I’m sorry, I… Gabe, I’m willing to try it. I’m willing to try this… _us._ ” You try to backtrack, hands gently touching his. It’s almost as if you forgot you were watching a horror movie. “I really, really like you.”

He still wore that same sad expression, but his eyes lit up as he glanced from the floor to your expression. A smile tugging at the corners of his lips, you found him absolutely irresistible all of a sudden. You just knew you wanted to kiss this poor boy.

“Really?” He asked.

“Y-Yeah.”

“That’s good— great. I’m happy.”

“Gabe—” You begin to say, but he cuts you off with another sudden kiss. This one is much more full of passion and it’s safe to say that he’s growing eager and curious, experimental even. You wanted to ask him to kiss you, but it seems as if he’s already ahead of you on that one.

The dull drone of the movie in the background completely ebbed away as you met his lips with just as much fervor, keeping up with his pace. Gabe’s infatuation with kissing you was strong, much like the way his hands were beginning to press on your body. He explored a little, trying to keep his hands at a reasonable place as he trails his large palms over the curves of your body. Fingertips enticing, he skims them along your thigh, up to your side, and then resting where he can grope your hip all he wants. You’re focusing on the kiss more than the safe-for-work foreplay, guiding his lips along in a rhythm that made your mind dizzy.

You had to make sure he was keeping his lips parted slightly so that you could make out with him, but he was struggling to do multiple things at once, so you pulled away from his lips temporarily before closing the distance and gently attacking his neck. His actions froze in sweet surprise before he continued to touch your longing body.

“Nnn..” You heard him whimper and you knew that his neck was sensitive. Nipping at it, he squeezed harder on your waist, fingers toying with the hem of your shirt, slowly snaking up to touch your skin.

“Gabe…” You whispered, trying to seduce him with a breathy little whine. That definitely awoke something in him because he pushed you further into the couch, attempting to kiss your neck now. You tilted your chin up, granting him full access to the beautiful canvas that was all his to mark. He leaned forward, beginning with little kisses up and down the side of your neck before sloppily placing kisses there. The only sad part about it was the fact he was so busy with his lips that he hardly moved his hands, one of which was inches away from your bra.

Now, your moan was only a playful tease to get him excited, but he’s definitely going a little crazy now. He was sucking on the skin of your neck, trying his best to copy your actions. You didn’t mind one bit how primitive he was acting, only forcing your hands up into his messy hair and pulling his body closer, almost on top of yours.

“G-Gabe..!” You whispered, really feeling heat build in your body by now. At this rate, you were scolding yourself for deciding against shaving, ready to risk it all for one guy. Your eyes flickered to the screen as music plays, the credits slowly rolling up and off-screen. You gently tapped his shoulder, pulling him from his trance of your skin to focus on the TV. “M-Movie’s over…”

“Is it?” He asked, panting just about as hard as you. He slowly lifted himself off of you, adjusting the collar of his shirt that had been messed up by you. He checked the time and noted how late it was before he sighed a bit sadly.

“Late, huh?” You asked, fixing your own clothes before leaning over, placing your head on his shoulder. “That’s okay.”

“I know, I just… I’m so happy. I don’t want this night to end.”

“There’ll be more nights to come, Gabe.” You laughed, reaching up and petting his hair, trying to push it away from his forehead. He usually kept it so clean and nice-looking, so you wanted to do a little service for him despite the fact he might not care as much.

Gabe eyes you like he wants you to stay, but you know that tomorrow’s a workday and you can’t stay the night. “Thank you for coming over.” He finally said.

“Of course! Let’s do this again.”

Standing up, you grab the few things you brought with you before Gabe stands to join you at the door, walking you out and down to your car since he lived on the third floor. It wasn’t a bitter goodbye, more like an abrupt one. You felt bad, but you knew that there will be more opportunities to make out with him all you want.

Stepping towards your vehicle, you stood, listening to the distant rumble of thunder. You remembered there were warnings of a storm coming over Scranton, so you figured you ought not dilly dally and instead hurry up and go back home just in case. Turning to Gabe, you massaged your neck, feeling his warmth still lingering.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah… e-er, Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

Right as you were turning to open your car door, he forced you to pause and look back at him. He stepped forward and kissed your forehead gently, pulling inches away after sinking down a little way to your height.

“You might want to cover your neck tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO.
> 
> I have written and published the past THREE chapters all in one night.
> 
> Now, I'm exhausted.  
> Anyway, how do y'all like that sweet makeout scene with Gabe? ;)


	9. 9

The break room was the perfect place for a secret girl meeting between you and some of the other women in the office that you both trusted and liked. Which, honestly, there were only two people: Pam and Erin. You especially liked Pam’s somewhat maternal presence because she was young enough to be a friend and old enough to be a married mother. Erin was a bit of a ditz but that’s exactly what made her so darling and she exchanged numbers with you recently to talk about how her dates with Andy went. The two were going steady and you couldn’t be happier for them!

However, this wasn’t about Andy… not now, at least. You managed to pull them both in with a group text, sitting at a table in the corner with an anxious look on your face.

You think the first thing they noticed was your turtleneck.

“It’s not _that_ cold out, is it?” Erin chirped playfully, sitting down at the same time Pam did. You usually dilly-dallied during work hours so a 10-minute discussion break about boys wasn’t going to be the end of the world, but it did seem that Pam was a bit hesitant on engaging in conversation.

“You got me.” You replied, tugging the shirt down to expose your neck. Both girls gasped, one in excitement and the other shock.

“Y/N!” Pam whisper-yelled, her jaw agape. “ _Gabe_ did that to you?”

“Yes, but it’s okay! I wanted it— uh, if that’s what you meant.”

“No, it just seems like… he isn’t the type..? Wow.”

You could only laugh at her comment because she wasn’t actually wrong. Gabe was a rather shy boy and for him to practically mark you up as his territory last night was rather unusual. Still, you felt a special connection to him and it was getting to a point where it almost scared you back into not liking the poor guy… and that’s why you were here in the first place; to talk about your relationship with Pam and Erin. If anything, you needed Pam’s wisdom and Erin’s liveliness.

“So, what’s going on? Why the secret meeting?” Erin asked. You met her gaze temporarily before glancing at the table with a slow sigh that made you feel like you were going to melt into your chair.

“W-Well,” you began, “I really, _really_ like Gabe and… I’m not sure if it’ll be a problem or not. Like, I went into this situation with the mindset I wouldn’t get involved with a guy because I didn’t need an office romance— but I’m doing exactly that. What if there’s a problem and we break up and then we have to WORK together?”

Rambling— venting— actually felt really good to do because that’s been on your mind for a while now. It’s not like you could express that to Gabe because when you tried, he gave you the puppy eyes and you couldn’t resist. Still, a part of you felt like you had to have someone reasonable and unbiased talk with you… and possibly talk you out of making a mistake.

Pam and Erin only exchanged awkward glances and it was deemed Pam speak first. “Y/N, I know you really like Gabe and the two of you are a cute couple, but… I kind of have to agree. Office romances are terrible, I had a fiance before Jim and while he worked in the warehouse, I still saw him often, even when we were broken up. It’s kind of a nightmare.” She sighs, rubbing her neck with a shrug. She wasn’t sure what to say without destroying your hopes but she knew to keep it simple and sweet.

“Well, I think it’s kinda cute!” Erin interjects with a completely different approach, a smile on her face. “If you guys are happy together, then that’s important, right? I mean… I try not to worry about stuff like that because I start to think like, _’oh no, what if I worry so much that I’ll drive Andy away?!’_ haha..!”

Was that something she could just laugh at so easily? You know you couldn’t.

“And I agree!” Pam nods, “But I just think that being careful is a good idea, try not to let problems arise? The important thing is that you stay happy.”

As you nodded in agreement, none of you seemed to notice the cluster of men eavesdropping outside the window to the break room. It started when Pam was pulled into the room, Jim went to investigate and ended up watching through the window to see if he could piece together what was being talked about. Now, Jim trusted his wife but he also knew that whatever trouble going on with all three of them was probably not his business. He wanted to turn around but Andy eventually joined his side, making a tuna joke and then peering into the room to spot Erin. Both men stood, absolutely confused at why their ladies were gossiping and what about. Andy’s concerns were that maybe they were discussing him and his recent dates with his beloved Erin, but along came Gabe. Originally, Gabe wanted to harp on them for not doing their work, but he caught sight of you and he swooned. He paused, froze, and kept staring before joining the other two on their commentary. Silence tolled for a couple of moments before Michael approached, curious just as much as the others.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Andy asked, frowning, and watching your hands move as you spoke.

“Probably shopping or clothes. Girly stuff like that.” Michael says, his arms crossed and brows laced with complete focus. None of the others seemed to recall Michael in a more concentrated state.

“Women don’t talk about those things when Kelly isn’t there,” Dwight scoffed, also having appeared out of the blue, “no… this is more serious. Judging by their body language, it’s serious.”

“Serious? How serious?” Michael asks.

“They must be speaking about who in the office they would have intercourse with.” Dwight says before being met with disapproving ‘no’s and ‘what?’s. In a mocking voice, Dwight plays out the possible conversation.

“One of those is literally my wife,” Jim grumbles, almost irritatedly.

“W-Well,” Gabe cleared his throat awkwardly, unable to remove his eyes from you, “I did kiss Y/N last night..?”

The whole cast of men seemed surprised, emitting their own sounds of shock as they looked at Gabe, eyeing him up and down like he was a criminal. A sly one, at that. Even Dwight had his eyebrows raised and he only responded with a scoff.

“ _You?_ ”

“Yeah— you… with a babe like Y/N?” Michael whispered, almost frantically. The idea of this scuzzy little walking stick getting a girlfriend seemed to be beyond him.

The rest of the men were about to shoot Michael down for his sleazy comment but the door opened and they all jerked back. Pam stood at it, cracking it with a serious expression.

“Jim! Get in here.” She said, beckoning him with a finger. All he did was blink down at her, unsure, before he complied. Immediately, the door shut when he walked in. The girls were now standing around Jim and Pam motioned her hands to her husband. “We needed a male opinion, now we’ve got one.”

“Wouldn’t it just be better to talk to Gabe himself?” You whispered, forehead wrinkled with worry. It’s not as if you didn’t trust Jim and his ideas! You enjoyed his presence just as much as you did Pam’s.

“What’s going on?” Jim asked in a monotone voice. Pam glanced back to him, a smile on her face as she explained the situation. Was Jim really the right man to be talking to? Sure, he was the most reasonable in the office, but he was on the same level as Pam when it came to this sort of thing— office romances. As Pam explained, you saw no change in Jim’s expression but he nodded with a small smile. He liked being the only man in the room, showed some superiority over Dwight, and maybe he can screw with him later by hanging it over his head. For now, Jim just kept his hand on his chin, clearly thinking hard.

“Well,” Jim stated, “I may be a bit biased here, but I don’t think they’re all too bad.”

“What about Karen?” Pam asked. The mention of Karen made Jim cringe but you had no idea who the woman was, so you simply tilted your head, visibly unsure. Jim didn’t feel like delving into the whole situation with his ex and so he just shook his head, looking at Pam for a short moment to pull her into a hug.

“No, I’m only thinking about you.” He says. You could’ve sworn that you, Erin, and Pam all swooned at how sweet and tender the moment was. “And… while we fought to be together for a while, we still managed to pull through. I think office romances suck when you’re fighting with someone, but there’ll always be better days.”

And right there was your answer. You beamed confidently, nodding in approval at his opinion. Pam simply hugged her husband in return, patting his back and thanking him for his thoughts. Erin was staring off before she gestured to the windows. “Is everyone staring at us..?”

Oh boy.

You grimace just the tiniest bit, seeing Gabe watching alongside everyone else in the office. The idea of gossiping about someone without them knowing (and them still witnessing it) made you feel icky.

Jim spoke up again. “You know, a date might be good for you to move forward if you two are in an undefined relationship. Like a classic dinner date or something.”

“Oh!” Pam nodded eagerly, “That sounds like a good idea! You guys should visit this one Italian place.” She goes on to talk about it but Erin’s already gone to the door, opening it to pull Gabe into the room. She scuttles out once the man limbers in and like a cue were dropped, Jim and Pam follow. You’re left with Gabe standing right in front of you, awkwardly rubbing his neck like he was thrown into a mess he had no craving to be part of.

“Hi,” he says, lifting a hand in a short-lived wave before he deems it dorky and quickly pockets it. You think it’s cute but you won’t say anything except the same response, a hi and shy smile.

Time to grow some balls, Y/N. You’ve got this!

Shifting your weight from foot to foot, you folded your hands behind your back, trying to calm your own nerves. Despite your playful actions last night with Gabe, you still felt some nerves in the pit of your stomach. It must’ve been the same way for him because he was just as flustered as you were. “So,” you finally speak, “Gabe… I- um.. was wondering if you’d be up for dinner this weekend?”

The way his expression lit up and glowed made your heart ache. You only returned the same expression as he spoke. “Yes—! Yes, I would _love_ to, Y/N! Oh, where?”

“This cute little Italian place, La Villa! It recently opened up and I’ve never been.”

Gabe caught sight of everyone still watching them like hawks and he felt his nerves get the best of him. Fumbling with a couple of his words, he shyly played with his hands. “M-Maybe we could, uh… do this later in text?”

“Oh, sure, that sounds good. We can pick a date and time.” You replied. Then, you hesitated, thinking about something that seemed like too much of a bold move for the moment. Still, you took a step closer to him, closing the gap ever so slowly and nearly pulling him down before you freeze. “Can I kiss you?”

The question seemed to catch him off guard because his face reddened beyond recognition. He stammered out a nervous ‘yes’ before he allowed himself to lean down to your height, puckering his lips and shutting his eyes expectantly. You met him halfway there, the kiss timid and shy. Outside of the break room, you heard the excited squealing of some of the girls and an ‘AWWW, COME ON’ from Michael (probably.)

* * *

The rest of the week is incredibly short and it feels like it flies by within a second. You weren’t sure what all happened but throughout those days you only anticipated the date with Gabe. It was like the only thing on your mind. When the day came, you already had an entire outfit picked out (and approved by Pam via text) and when you slipped it on, you admired yourself in the mirror. It took you a while to get there, but you found yourself completely gorgeous. Every dip, bump, and curve of your skin was beautiful no matter the color, blemish, or shape.

But for real, you’re drop-dead SEXY! You felt that way, especially in this outfit that you picked, and when you heard him knocking at your door, your heart only fluttered nervously. Moving quickly to get the door, you open it, greeted with Gabe’s expression of admiration and growing love.

“W-Wow… Y/N, you look… ahah..”

“Good? I know.” You replied, placing your hands on your hips and giving him a playful pose. He nearly choked, earning a good laugh from you. Folding your arm around his, he escorted you from your apartment and down to his car, where he drove carefully through the night to get to the restaurant. The drive was pleasant but it began to rain a little bit, thunder rumbling in the very distance over Scranton. You didn’t think too much of it at the time, too giddy with excitement to stop staring at Gabe as he drove. Eventually, when you two got to the restaurant, which you already had booked a reservation for, you were seated at a nice table in the center of the dim restaurant. Of course, they gave you bread and garlic butter to begin with, which you happily indulged in beginning off, looking through the menu.

“Could we get a merlot for the table?” You ask the waitress, who nods in agreement and wanders away to grab the bottle. It didn’t seem like Gabe had any complaints, but you knew he might enjoy a nice dry wine to start off the night. You remember the night at his apartment— you saw some wine glasses and bottles which told you exactly that the man was a connoisseur of some kind. When the wine came, the waitress poured your own glasses for you and set it back down. You decided on a chicken piccata and Gabe settled for a simple spaghetti aglio e olio. Now began the dreaded wait.

“So, do you like merlot?” You asked, sipping your drink.

“Actually, yes! I like a lot of wines. What’s your favorite?” He replied. You had to think about that one but you smiled and came to a conclusion.

“Moscato, probably? I like how light and sweet it is and just kind of melts in your mouth.”

“Oh! It’s technically served as a dessert wine, did you know that? It goes great with so many things— I saw some desserts and was tempted, but Italian restaurants always give you too much food.” He only laughs.

You laugh too, admiring his cute suit. It was definitely different seeing him wear one for a date then just at work. “What else do you like?”

“Well, I love Japanese culture! I studied there for my senior year and it was amazing.”

“Really? Wait, have you seen those trees that they have— the cherry blossoms?”

“Yes! They bloom in the springtime and while it’s kind of a mess with the petals everywhere, oh, it’s a sight to see, Y/N. I’d love to take you there.”

His comment made your heart throb and you visibly blushed. The idea of traveling with Gabe made you smile uncontrollably. Was this a sign he was serious about this relationship? Oh, but the word love is a bit too far from your lips right now. You nodded in agreement at his words, almost too eagerly. “Yes!” you said, “I’d love to go with you! Is the plane ride a nightmare?”

“Not really. Of course, you have jet lag because they’re a day ahead so it’s kind of weird, but it’s just so worth it.”

“I bet! I’ve only traveled to a couple of the other states, never been outside the country at all.” You replied. And, yes, that was true. You had such a domestic lifestyle that leaving the country was beyond your own limitations. You knew that Gabe had to flit back and forth between Florida and Scranton sometimes because of Jo, so you didn’t want to stress him out by speaking about travel too much. “And you’re clearly a horror fan, too… what got you into that?”

As Gabe spoke about his childhood and family, it seemed really pleasant and fun; just learning about each other as you continue your conversation. You hoped that someday you’d be able to meet Gabe’s parents, they sounded like very kind people. It felt like time passed by so fast because the moment you two stopped talking was when your food was served. The conversation fell silent for a moment or two, pausing for you to eat before it was immediately picked back up. You found that while you didn’t share much in common with Gabe, he was such a good-spirited man that it was easy to keep feeling just as connected, if not more, with him. The rest of the night seemed to drift away like a dream but by the end of your meal, you felt yourself getting a bit too tipsy, so you had to stop drinking.

You split the bill (thank GOD because that shit was too expensive) and you stood up, wandering out of the restaurant with Gabe, locking arms with him, and giggling the whole way to the car. He wasn’t as tipsy but he definitely looked red in the face.

“Y/N, are you alright?” He asked with an amused chuckle, watching you before getting the door for you.

You nodded in response, sliding into the passenger seat and lazily leaning back in it. “Yeeeeah! I feel great. So full, though… I can’t eat anymore!”

Gabe thought you were precious. Climbing into the driver’s side, he paused to look at you before turning the vehicle on. “Going home?”

“Mmm…” You hummed aloud, unsure. Gabe thought the same; it probably wasn’t good to leave you in such a state because last time you were drunk, you were stressed out and sad. Besides, he doesn’t want the good night to end, so he dips his head, backing out of the little parking space.

“You can crash at my place, then, if that’s okay with you? I have a couple of guest bedrooms you could pick from.” He said. He would be a dirty liar if he said he didn’t imagine you deciding to sleep in the same bed as him. You agreed quietly to his terms, thinking the same exact thing as he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be smut! It is completely optional to read but I will include a warning in the beginning and a summary at the end of the chapter so that people who do decide to skip over it will have something to refer to. I will also say that I have NOT abandoned this work, it's just hard to write during a pandemic. I hope everyone is staying home, safe, and healthy!


	10. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW WARNING:  
> There is smut content ahead! If you're uncomfortable, move on to the end. I'll put down a short, SFW summary.

It was late and you both were mildly tipsy, going on drunk. As you and Gabe stumbled inside of his tiny apartment, you found it hard to stop giggling as you quietly spoke in hushed tones to one another. Although it was dark and rain hummed on the roof above you, you both kept your voices down as if he had unexpected company or was sneaking a girl into his room while still in high school. It was sort of fun to think that way, and it made things more exciting.

The date itself was a night you’ll never forget. You honestly couldn’t be happier with the classics-- a romantic candlelit dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. A part of you didn’t want the fantasy to end for the night with a hug and a kis, which is why you were so excited for the rest of the night. It was most likely unusual for Gabe to ask girls to stay over, but you knew it was probably the alcohol’s confidence speaking instead.

“Well-- hey, would you like to take a shower?” Gabe whispered, voice frail but sweet as he turned back to you, hair clumped together on his forehead from the rainwater. His pale skin glistened and, for a second, you admired the way he looked before biting your own lip and dipping your head, mulling over a response.

“Aah, I’ve got no clothes. If I knew we were having a sleepover…” You replied, earning a giggle from him.

Waving his large hands, he shrugged and slid them into his pockets awkwardly, “It’s no worries! You.. you can borrow some of mine, if you’d like. I can’t imagine a dress is comfortable to sleep in.”

“You’re real sweet, Gabe,” you sighed happily, nodding. “‘Kay, I’ll take one. You can just pick whatever clothes.”

Now, you were still drunk, and drunk minds are sober wishes, so you stroll into the bathroom, wiping your makeup off as Gabe brings you extra clothes and lays them down on the countertop. Shutting the door, he leaves you to your own devices. You take a nice, long shower, contemplating about the night as it progresses slowly. You allowed the cold rain to wash off your skin and you scrubbed with his loofa and his body wash, drinking in the sweet scent. It was so nice to be with him, but you were wondering now how far he’d want to take this. The most the two of you had done really is kiss, so doing anything more could send the poor boy into cardiac arrest.

Stepping out of the shower and drying off, you examined the clothes carefully. In your hands, you held one of his white work shirts that was slightly wrinkled and soft and a pair of gray sweatpants that you could imagine him lounging in during the weekends. You slipped your underwear back on and dried out your hair as you buttoned the shirt up across your torso, leaving the sweatpants on the counter as you finally emerged from the steamy bathroom.

You weren’t sure where to find him, so you browsed through his apartment with scouring, drunken eyes. All you could see was beautiful interior design left and right. It was obvious Gabe had a thing for asian culture and modern furniture, which you remember from your first visit. The only light that was on was one coming from the bedroom at the very end of the hall, which you stumbled towards. Pushing the door open so that it creakily announced your entrance, Gabe’s pretty blue eyes darted upwards while he was busy changing. He had a pair of shorts on and was preparing to pull on a white t-shirt, but he froze upon seeing you. Eyes skimming your legs, stopping where the work shirt ended and indicated you weren’t wearing anything beneath, you could visibly see his face heat up.

“Y-..Y/N!” Gabe frantically whispered, stutters coming through as he finally pulls his shirt on, awkwardly clutching at it. “Wh.. what are.. you wearing..? Where are the.. t-the...”

“Sweatpants?” You giggled, “I didn’t want to wear them.”

“Oh!”

Gabe’s response was dry like his lips, forcing him to wet them with his tongue and swallow nervously. His eyes tried to gaze anywhere but those legs of yours, but he could hardly help himself. This was probably the lewdest he witnessed a girl before.

“Well, uhm…” He finally breathes, fists still clutching, “Good… night?”

“Can I sleep with you?”

Your words were sudden, like impulse, pushed out of you and forced into the open as you desperately curled your fingers into a fist. The comment made his eyes widen and rise back to your expression, which was something so desirably adorable that made his heart hammer in his throat. He released his shirt finally, hands clammy with sweat, before he nodded, understanding the meaning behind your question. He was, after all, planning on boldly inviting you into his bed after you settled on the couch. It didn’t show, but he was secretly glad it wasn’t him that asked.

Slowly, you approached the other side of his bed, eyes scanning the comfortable blankets that looked rather expensive. You couldn’t help but allow them to wander for a split second to the Japanese items placed strategically about the room before they finally rest on the singular lamp that shone with a warm, dim hue. You climbed into his bed cautiously, making sure you didn’t show him a peek of the underwear you were wearing just yet, before pulling the sheet and blanket over yourself. As you laid your head down, you nuzzled the pillows with a whine of happiness. His bed was extremely plush.

You like to think you’d prefer to rest on him, though.

Gabe, carefully, took one step closer before hesitating. It wasn’t as if his hesitation was regret, it seemed more like he was nervous to sleep beside you. He could see the way your hair fell in your face and your expression changed pleasantly as you laid down and it was forcing that yearn inside of him to burn with more enthusiasm. He wanted to hold you, to protect you, because that’s what _boyfriends_ do, right? Finally, he sat down and pulled his long limbs into the covers before sitting up against the headboard, staring off wistfully as if this was the dream, to simply sit beside your lover.

But that wasn’t all you wanted, so you reached out to him, resting your hand atop his. There was this serene moment of silence where the only sound being made was from the rain on the window and roof above. Gabe slowly turned his head down to you, your eyes half-lidded with allure before you skimmed your hand up his forearm, sliding yourself out of the blankets to sit up. Snaking your fingertips to his chest, neck, and cheek, you pulled him gently into one of the more kinder kisses, soft and warm. His lips were always perfectly awaiting yours, a little bit cracked but still just as much inviting. His eyelids fluttered shut the moment you kissed him and, in that fleeting second, it was over with and you pulled away, lips unlocking. You pressed your forehead against his and felt the heat radiating from his cheeks. Thumb gently stroking his face, you only spoke in whispers.

“Are you okay with this?”

“Wh… what do you mean..?”

At that moment, you felt your hand move on it’s own. As if it were possessed by an erotic devil of some sort, the warmth of your palm left his cheek and slid down his neck until it reached his chest, where you groped him ever so lightly. That one forced a shaky breath out of him, to which the corners of your lips quirked up in a knowing smile.

“Can we?” Is all you had to ask. Gabe’s expression was that of an intoxicated mess, but still aroused in a way. He nodded, looking dazed, as you captured his mouth again. Despite the fact you were acting out this way because of the alcohol, you still knew that, deep down, you wanted this so badly. You wanted him to hold you, touch you, taste you, and you wanted to see this innocent boy turn dirty _so_ fast. There was a part of you that sparked into life, hidden in the depths of your stomach, as you kissed him harder this time. Gabe wasn’t one for initiation, so he limply allowed this to happen as you guided his own hand to your hip, forcing it to push up the hem of the work shirt. You wanted to watch his expression when he saw the underwear you picked, so you gently tugged away from him, your own eyes leading him to watch his hand.

The white cloth bundled up under the force of both of your hands, yours on top of his, as you finally revealed the hip side of your underwear. It was a floral print mesh thong panty, something with cute lace frills and bows on the side. You didn’t actually plan this out, you just knew that wearing cute underwear would give you confidence, especially on a first date.

“Uh-... nnn..” Gabe made some cute sounds, something of a sudden realization at what he was looking at. His fingers began to tremble and you pressed your hand harder down on his, pushing his palm into your skin and forcing his eyes to face yours.

“Are you sure you want this, Gabe? If you’re not ready, please tell me.”

“I-.. I’m just--... I’m ready, I’m good.”

Your hand left his as you took his face in your grip, pulling it up to fully face you. You stared him in the eye and, despite your intoxication, you seemed to be faring quite well. “Gabe,” you began, “tell me at any time, okay? You matter to me.”

The pet name sent his heart rate skyrocketing and you could feel it through the center of his large hand. His spindly fingers still trembled, but he reached ever so slowly and traced the fabric of your panties. You released his face, watching him explore like a child trying to figure things out for the first time. He looked back up to you.

“‘s really pretty.”

“Yeah..? I’m glad you think so.”

Gabe steadily pulled the rest of the work shirt up to reveal your lap and the rest of what he was missing out on. He gently tugged at the bows but they were glued permanently into the shape, so his touch drifted closer to your core, where you were beginning to emanate heat from. Your own nerves were beginning to become so troublesome, so you pushed your thighs together, trying to make that itching inside you stop. You craved to feel his long fingers inside you, but you knew that might be another time considering how slow he’s taking this.

“Are you wearing a… a b-bra..?” Gabe’s voice dropped on that last word and you chuckled, shaking your head. After all, you were getting ready for bed when you got changed, who the fuck would wear a bra to bed? Gabe just makes the smallest ‘oh’ sound before his gaze trains on your chest.

“Are you curious?”

“Mnnn…”

Gabe’s voice was extremely timid and he seemed like he really wasn’t sure if he could answer that question with a yes. After all, it was such a preposterous idea that someone would want to have sex with him or in the very least, show him their boobs. He almost sounded like a whiny child when he responded, so you took his awkwardly lingering hands and put them at the top button.

“I want you to unbutton it for me.”

Gabe didn’t make a noise this time, surprisingly, so you watched as he swallowed hard again and began to fumble with the buttons, pulling his hands down each time he undid one. With each newly undone button, more of your skin was exposed. As the last button came undone, he pulled away but you snatched his wrists, shaking your head. His deed wasn’t done just yet.

“And pull the shirt off me, too.”

He could already see your cleavage! Wasn’t that torture enough? Trying to muster up enough courage, he steadily took the shirt in his hands and pulled it off of your torso and arms, helping you lift them so it could be discarded. He tried to keep his gaze away from your breasts but oh god were they tempting and, predictably, he stared at your exposed chest. Your nipples were hard with anticipation and the horripilations on your skin were caused by his tender caresses. Out came a breath of realization before Gabe raised his hands, asking you for permission with his gaze.

“Touch them all you want, baby, they’re all yours.” You replied, raising your arms and lifting them around his neck, pulling him in a bit closer. You could tell he was getting excited from this bit of foreplay, there was a small tent in his shorts and you couldn’t keep your eyes away from it. Just imagining Gabe using his hands to pin you down and then slowly fucking you made you shiver with excitement. That or the fact his hands were tracing the skin of your breasts and more so on your nipples. He explored with a curious heart and mind, indulging in your half-naked self as you selfishly complained internally about the fact he hasn’t undressed yet. You knew you’d have him all to yourself eventually, it was only a matter of time. Still, your arousal was impatient and you knew when you wanted something.

“It feels good when you touch me like that, Gabe.” You whisper, eyeing his erection before your eyes flicker up to his face. He met your expression with a look of whim, cheeks redder than a tomato. “I… I’m feeling really hot.”

“Y/N… are you t-teasing me?”

“Trying to, ahah…” You laughed feebly, legs tightening together. He released your breasts and reached for his own shirt, pulling it off over his head with a shy look on his face. By no means was he very masculine or hairy. The boy was, what, slim at best? Still, you admired his body with loving eyes before gently touching his chest and tummy, trailing along his upper body with your fingertips. You wanted to see more, but you had to take your time coaxing him to strip for you. He allowed you to explore on your own, but you took much less time than him and was already tugging at the band of his shorts, leaning down against the bed with your elbow propping you up.

All you could ask was, “Can I?” and even that earned a shocked look from him. He must’ve just noticed the erection being visible through his shorts because his hands dove and covered his lap, face heating up extremely fast. His stammers came out more rapidly now.

“I-I.. I’m so sorry-- I.. just… I was getting excited and-- and…”

“Gabe, listen,” you laugh, “I want you to, it’s okay. If it makes you more comfortable, I can get naked first?”

“N-No, I… I just want to ask-- are… are you a virgin?”

A bewildered look came upon your face before you frowned and nodded. “I.. I am.”

“I-I… I’m just really inexperienced a-and..!”

“You’re fine, Gabe! Just sit back, relax… I’ll show you how to do oral and maybe, if you’re feeling confident, you can try it on me if you’d like? Don’t worry about any of that stuff, you know. I learn from videos and tips.”

Gabe had to sit up a bit more and prop himself against the headboard yet again, pushing himself into the piles of pillows before finally removing his hands and using them to pull down the hem of his shorts and underwear. Slowly and surely, he pulls out his erection, earning a shy gasp from your lips before you timidly reached out to grasp it. You made sure to breathe hard on it, watching him squirm with his face all scrunched up. Giggling, you pressed your hot tongue to the tip, causing his hands to fly down and bunch up the sheets with his fists. You could tell he was already enjoying this mediocre blowjob. While you drew long, wet licks on his length, you examined his reactions and copied your movements to hear him moan the same again. His whimpers are tiny and controlled, but as you stroked his testicles and also took his head in your mouth, they faltered and became much louder. His voice began to leak through any expression, even ones with gritted teeth, and you found it to be the cutest thing ever. Gabe was in heaven. As you bobbed your head up and down real slowly, you attempted to take in his complete length before you gagged a bit. Gabe didn’t notice, too caught up in his own fantasy to witness you pushing your limits. Finally, his back began to arch and his hips began to stutter. It was a telltale sign that he was ready to orgasm and without any warning, he came in your mouth and on your cheek. Feeling the hot seed splatter across your face, you scrunched up your nose, slowly sitting up to lap what you could off your own face.

Gabe looked beyond embarrassed, slouching back down into the pillows with a heavy sigh before examining your face. He slowly gained the courage to speak up. “Thank you…”

You found it difficult to not laugh at how innocent and sweet he was, only pulling yourself into his frame, placing a kiss on his lips. He met your lips with just as much fervor and passion before you pulled back, tracing your fingertips across his lips.

“Satisfied?” You ask.

Gabe swallows, nodding and resting his chin against his chest. “Y-Yes… thank you, Y/N.”

“Good. Me too.”

You quickly curled up in his arms before he automatically wrapped his lanky arms around you. You felt one of his hands rest atop your head and soothingly stroke your hair, lulling you quietly to doze off before he suddenly asked,

“Wait, didn’t you want me to… t-to do something with you?”

“Oh, no. It’s okay. We can save it for another time, okay?” You whispered, blinking a couple of times before bringing him down into a small kiss. “Let’s just get some rest. I’m tired.”

With that being said, he held you throughout the night. It even seemed like he didn’t care if the two of you were practically nude but you realized that the only reason why he didn’t is because he drifted off to sleep fast. You must’ve drained the poor guy. With a happy and content sigh, you rest your head against his chest, listening to the drum of his heartbeat before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUMMARY:  
> You sleep over at Gabe's house and go to third base with him. Nothing further than that!


End file.
